Accounting of seized Marcos assets pushed

BEFORE folding up, a senator said the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) should properly account for all ill-gotten assets it has recovered from the family and cronies of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

"We want a full audit and accounting of all the sequestered assets and its value at that time, especially those that have since been dissipated as well. Present to the public the current values of its forfeited assets to address long standing allegations against the PCGG that its officials helped squander the little assets the agency had recovered," said Senator Francis Escudero.

He said these assets should then be turned over to the Department of Finance.

The senator, sponsor of the bill seeking compensation for victims of human rights abuses under the Marcos regime, said the PCGG should also make public all the compromise deals it has made in the past, how much did the State gain or lose.

"The last thing we want to discover is a tale of the fabled loot being looted twice over," he said.

PCGG Chairperson Andres Bautista earlier recommended the abolition of the agency and transfer of cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) since the prosecution of the Marcoses has reportedly been difficult because some family members are back in power and the government is implementing belt tightening measures.

But Escudero said the difficulty of recovering the remainder of the estimated $10 billion ill-gotten wealth “should not be an excuse if there was indeed a cause of action.”

There have been pending bills in Congress seeking the abolition of the PCGG, which was created by the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino after assuming power through a bloodless People Power Revolution that ended Marcos’ 20-year rule.

Cory’s son, President Benigno Aquino III, has already asked his office to look into Bautista’s recommendation as the government assured that it will continue to make the Marcoses and their allies accountable for past crimes. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)