Compensation for Marcos era victims soon

MANILA -- The House committee on human rights has created a technical working group (TWG) to consolidate the bills providing compensation to victims of human rights violations during the Marcos era.

The TWG will come up with a consolidate bill by January for the approval of the committee.

Five re-filed bills are currently pending before the House panel to grant funds for the victims of the Marcos regime who filed a class action suit against the dictator for crimes against humanity.

In September 1992, the US Federal District Court of Hawaii decided in favor of the 9,539 Filipino victims and ordered the Marcoses to pay the victims almost $2B for damages.

In 1997, the Swiss Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the then US$540 million Marcos ill-gotten Swiss deposits to an escrow account of the Philippine National Bank, in favor of the Philippine government, and in which the victims who filed the class suit in Hawaii be considered by the government in the release of the funds.

Since the account is interest-bearing, it has already ballooned to P10.13 billion, according to the Department of Agrarian Reform. (Kathrina
Alvarez/Sunnex)