Return all the ill-gotten wealth. Disclose any condition for its return. Hold the Marcoses accountable for raiding the public coffers.
Several lawmakers and victims of abuses under the Marcos regime issued these calls a day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was willing to return part of its wealth, including gold bars, to help government manage its finances.
Loretta Ann Rosales, a torture victim during the Marcos regime, said the Marcoses 鈥渨ill have to be accountable for something they took from the government, which Duterte claims they are now willing to give.鈥�
鈥淭hat will be an admission that the father was a plunderer,鈥� said Rosales, a former chair of the Commission on Human Rights.
鈥楽肠补尘鈥�
The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malaca帽ang (Carmma) called the Marcos family鈥檚 offer to return part of its wealth a 鈥渟cam鈥� and urged the public not to fall for it.
As skepticism greeted the Marcos offer, Malaca帽ang said the President was looking after the Filipinos鈥� best interest.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte wanted what was best for Filipinos.
Carmma spokesperson Bonifacio Ilagan said the offer was part of the Marcoses鈥� gameplan to return to power.
鈥淚mee Marcos is going to run for senator in the next elections and Bongbong for president,鈥� Ilagan said.
Duterte allies
He said the Marcoses knew that the biggest issue against their comeback was their ill-gotten wealth, part of which they are now offering to return 鈥渨ithout even admitting [to wrongdoing].鈥�
The Marcoses, including Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and former Sen. Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� Marcos Jr., are known political allies of Mr. Duterte.
In one of his previous speeches, the President had identified Imee as one of the chief financiers of his presidential campaign.
The family is believed to have amassed $10 billion over the two-decade rule of Marcos, who was ousted in February 1986.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said there was a need to get the details of the offer made by the Marcos family.
鈥淏ut if it鈥檚 a settlement, the Republic of the Philippines is not cheap and whatever the entire wealth that was stolen, should be returned,鈥� Pimentel said.
If the offer was a donation to help the government as Mr. Duterte had implied, Pimentel said this should be accepted as long as it would not affect the cases the Marcoses were facing.
鈥楴ot that simple鈥�
When聽 Mr. Duterte disclosed the offer of the Marcoses to return part of their wealth, he did not refer to it as ill-gotten and neither did he say that the family had admitted that it had stolen from the country鈥檚 coffers.
The President said the family gave the reason that Mr. Marcos was 鈥減rotecting the economy,鈥� which was why it seemed the wealth had been hidden.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said聽 facilitating the return of the Marcos wealth might not be that simple, as there were pending cases against the Marcos family.
As head of the executive department, Mr. Duterte may enter into an agreement with the Marcos heirs, Aguirre said.
鈥淚t could be done under the framework of the law. Maybe there should be a new agreement, an enabling law or an initiative law or regulations to be issued by the President himself,鈥� he added.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the Marcos heirs should reveal 鈥渁ny conditionality for the voluntary partial surrender鈥� of the family鈥檚 ill-gotten wealth.
Danilo de la Fuente, spokesperson of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto, said the Marcoses should still be considered criminals.
鈥淭he Marcoses should return all ill-gotten wealth, every centavo of it, but plunderers and criminals they remain,鈥� he said.
Zenaida Mique, executive director of Claimants 1081, a group of human rights violations victims, said Mr. Duterte鈥檚 Monday announcement was 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�
鈥淭hey have no moral or legal rights to choose to return聽 鈥榮ome鈥� of these ill-gotten wealth. We鈥檙e talking here of Filipino people鈥檚 money,鈥� Mique said in a text message. 鈥�WITH REPORTS FROM DJ YAP AND LEILA B. SALAVERRIA