On August 29, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the members of the Marcos family are “willing to open” and “return” to the Philippine government their questionable wealth and gold bars, but Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos said on August 31 her family is still discussing it and no negotiation has started.
“The PCGG (Presidential Commission on Good Governance), they’re investigation the wealth of Marcos. The Marcoses, I will not name the spokesman, sabi nila ‘we’ll open everything and hopefully return yung mga nakita na talaga,” Duterte said.
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Duterte noted that the late dictator’s family is also willing to return a “few gold bars.”
“Sabi nila na, malaki ang deficit mo, maybe the (sic) projected spending pero hindi ito malaki baka makatulong, but we are ready to open and bring back, sabi niya, pati yung a few gold bars,” the President said.
“Just a few pero isauli nila. Para walang… and the only reason sabi nila, their father was protecting the economy for the eventual, kung maalis siya. But he was thought of regaining the Malacañang and that is why ganito ang lumabas parang naitago,” he added.
Duterte said he will accept the Marcoses’ explanation over the wealth.
“I will accept the explanation, whether or not it is true. Wala na e. And I am ready. How much, I will be giving an accounting,” he said.
But on August 31, Imee denied any ongoing negotations between the Marcoses and the government.
“We trust that the President can end the decades-long case, and our family is still discussing it, but it’s in the hands of our lawyers,” she said.
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“Wala pa, wala pa,” she answered when asked whether her family is negotiating with the government over the return of part of the Marcos wealth.
However, she denied knowing anything about the 7,000 tons of golden the Marcoses supposedly kept in deposits all over the world, as purportedly told by her mother Imelda Marcos, to BUHAY Rep. Lito Atienza.
“I don’t know. I think it’s best that the lawyers respond to all these queries,” Imee said.
On August 30, Atienza recalled Imelda told him she wanted to return the gold bars to the government.
“When I was mayor (of Manila), sinabi niya [Imelda] gusto kong ibalik ‘yung gold dito, ibigay sa gobyerno para mapawi na lahat ng utang natin,” he told reporters at a press conference.
“Sabi ko, why don’t you do it? Sabi niya humahadlang ang isang superpower, hindi naman maigalaw ang gold. Nakadeposito sa maraming lugar sa buong mundo,” he added.
Atienza recalled that Imelda told him the gold bars her family kept weighed 7,000 tons.
“Ilan ba ang estimate niyo sa gold na ‘yan? Sabi niya ay 7,000 tons,” he said. “Seven thousand tons? Sana this time, makuha niya yung inaalok ni Mrs. Marcos nun. Kapag inaalok ngayon, ay mapakinabangan naman ng bansa ito.”
“Kunin na lang natin ‘yung ginto at magamit ng Pilipinas dahil you can even imagine the value of those gold bars which they claim they have,” Atienza suggested.
“I announced it in light of all these developments, and we wish President Duterte all the best. Sayang naman ang perang ‘yan. Thirty-one years have passed and wala man lang na-prosecute,” he added.
Sources: (inquirer.com) (inquirer.com 2) (gmanetwork.com)
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