Like Erap Estrada, a convicted plunderer of the nation’s wealth, the Marcosses (Aimee, Bong Bong, and most especially the unsinkable Imelda) never owned their family’s part in debasing the Filipino people, most especially in the areas of amassing ill-gotten wealth and human rights violations. Not a single apology is heard. It is as if the Marcosses have been time warped of a sort or they must have lived in utter insensitivity that they could not “see” even to this time how morally and financially bankrupt the nation has been from the time they were forcibly dragged out of power in 1986.
At the moment, the country is poised to receive P140 billion from the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth. Like anything else in this surrealistic Republic, a big IF is posted on the door. If only the PCGG, the government agency tasked to run after these billions, will do their work. If only the PCGG will have the morally upright spirit to pursue this mammoth claim. If only midnight settlements concocted by sinister characters representing the government will be nipped out of bud before the deals are sealed for eternity.
PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede has been busily announcing the possible settlements with the Marcosses as he has been busy attending Imelda’s social gatherings for PR purposes maybe, or because, as he himself claims, he has been very close to the Marcosses for eons of time. Unlike the untainted Haydee Yorac, this PCGG Commissioner sees no issue, or bad taste or the lack of plain delicadeza, hub knobbing with the very people he is tasked to prosecute, to claim rightful vengeance, resolutions and closure not only for the direct victims of the Marcos regime but also for the generations of Pinoys to come.
Abcede is adamant with his stand: nothing is wrong with negotiating with the Marcosses. The sooner we get the negotiations with the Marcosses, the better for this country. Abcede only stopped talking about the so-called negotiations, at least for the time being, when Greggy Araneta, Marcos’ son-in-law, disowned Abcede’s vicious claims. As if to highlight Abcede’s shameful faux pas, Greggy plays possum and explained: “I thought it was just a social meeting. When the Commissioner mentioned the possibility of discussing a settlement, I said that the cases are all in the courts.”
Who is behind the obscene settlements? Former solicitor general Francisco Chavez was quick to connect the dots: “Who is negotiating with Abcede? Greggy Araneta. Who is Greggy Araneta? He’s the cousin of Mike Arroyo. Who is Mike Arroyo? He’s married to somebody who claims to be President.” Chavez points out what many leaders and government officials like Abcede missed out: “The commissioner should all be reminded that it’s not a question of pesos or centavos. It’s a question of justice, of fairness, and the vindication of wrongs inflicted upon our people.” In other words, this is about the wrongness or rightness of things. The issue is moral.
We all know the Marcosses are back. Aimee and Imelda will take their helms as leaders of the country. Bong Bong with the help of his Nacionalista Party has packaged himself as a serious crusader against corruption and someone who will improve the nation as he did with his beloved Ilocos, or so he claims. This early, observers are already noting that Bong Bong is actually eyeing Malacanang.
Expect the Marcos triumvirate to “clean” Ferdinand, the late dictator from all corrupt and unjust practices experienced by the Filipino people in the twenty or so years of Apo’s reign. Like Jinggoy Estrada, the self-professed Anak ng Masa (seriously, since when did Jinggoy become the son of the poor Filipino “masa”?), Bong Bong will be busy in the Senate defending the supposed legacy of his father. Expect that a law will be submitted anytime soon transferring the body of the late dictator to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, to ensure the re-writing of history. If this nation is not diligent, we might all wake up with Ferdinand Marcos being proclaimed a national hero.
In the name of reconciliation, as this seems to be the favourite political by-word of our politicians these days, expect the nagging issues of settlements with the Marcosses to be hounding not only this already discredited government but the next government to come. For any greedy public official, the call of billions of pesos is not something you can just easily sleep over with.
The Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth is an issue that has tested time and time again the true nature of our leaders. This is especially true at the time of Jovito Salonga and Haydee Yorac. Moreover, the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth will put to test the historical vision or the lack of it, the long or short range perspective of the coming Noynoy dispensation, if the Marcos ill-gotten wealth conundrum is not yet “settled” at the time Noynoy takes over the administration.
Chavez hits it right: the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth is not only about recovering the billions of pesos and transferring them to the national coffer, although this is good in itself. But more than recovering the mammoth amount, getting back what is stolen from this nation, or for that matter to anyone, is getting back our sense of dignity. In the final reckoning, getting back the ill-gotten wealth, all ill-gotten wealth, no matter how it takes time, ensures a clear statement, a clear message, a clear history to our children and children’s children.
This nation, after all, is not a “damaged” culture. This is not a nation of corrupt people. This is a nation that calls corruption for what it is, and will take at whatever lengths it may do or lead us into to right what is wrong. Yes Oholliab, robbing anyone, and for that matter a nation, is wrong. This is the simple truth why we need to recover, and not “settle,” the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth, all ill-gotten wealth,
tobe_wtdpoor@yahoo.com
At the moment, the country is poised to receive P140 billion from the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth. Like anything else in this surrealistic Republic, a big IF is posted on the door. If only the PCGG, the government agency tasked to run after these billions, will do their work. If only the PCGG will have the morally upright spirit to pursue this mammoth claim. If only midnight settlements concocted by sinister characters representing the government will be nipped out of bud before the deals are sealed for eternity.
PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede has been busily announcing the possible settlements with the Marcosses as he has been busy attending Imelda’s social gatherings for PR purposes maybe, or because, as he himself claims, he has been very close to the Marcosses for eons of time. Unlike the untainted Haydee Yorac, this PCGG Commissioner sees no issue, or bad taste or the lack of plain delicadeza, hub knobbing with the very people he is tasked to prosecute, to claim rightful vengeance, resolutions and closure not only for the direct victims of the Marcos regime but also for the generations of Pinoys to come.
Abcede is adamant with his stand: nothing is wrong with negotiating with the Marcosses. The sooner we get the negotiations with the Marcosses, the better for this country. Abcede only stopped talking about the so-called negotiations, at least for the time being, when Greggy Araneta, Marcos’ son-in-law, disowned Abcede’s vicious claims. As if to highlight Abcede’s shameful faux pas, Greggy plays possum and explained: “I thought it was just a social meeting. When the Commissioner mentioned the possibility of discussing a settlement, I said that the cases are all in the courts.”
Who is behind the obscene settlements? Former solicitor general Francisco Chavez was quick to connect the dots: “Who is negotiating with Abcede? Greggy Araneta. Who is Greggy Araneta? He’s the cousin of Mike Arroyo. Who is Mike Arroyo? He’s married to somebody who claims to be President.” Chavez points out what many leaders and government officials like Abcede missed out: “The commissioner should all be reminded that it’s not a question of pesos or centavos. It’s a question of justice, of fairness, and the vindication of wrongs inflicted upon our people.” In other words, this is about the wrongness or rightness of things. The issue is moral.
We all know the Marcosses are back. Aimee and Imelda will take their helms as leaders of the country. Bong Bong with the help of his Nacionalista Party has packaged himself as a serious crusader against corruption and someone who will improve the nation as he did with his beloved Ilocos, or so he claims. This early, observers are already noting that Bong Bong is actually eyeing Malacanang.
Expect the Marcos triumvirate to “clean” Ferdinand, the late dictator from all corrupt and unjust practices experienced by the Filipino people in the twenty or so years of Apo’s reign. Like Jinggoy Estrada, the self-professed Anak ng Masa (seriously, since when did Jinggoy become the son of the poor Filipino “masa”?), Bong Bong will be busy in the Senate defending the supposed legacy of his father. Expect that a law will be submitted anytime soon transferring the body of the late dictator to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, to ensure the re-writing of history. If this nation is not diligent, we might all wake up with Ferdinand Marcos being proclaimed a national hero.
In the name of reconciliation, as this seems to be the favourite political by-word of our politicians these days, expect the nagging issues of settlements with the Marcosses to be hounding not only this already discredited government but the next government to come. For any greedy public official, the call of billions of pesos is not something you can just easily sleep over with.
The Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth is an issue that has tested time and time again the true nature of our leaders. This is especially true at the time of Jovito Salonga and Haydee Yorac. Moreover, the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth will put to test the historical vision or the lack of it, the long or short range perspective of the coming Noynoy dispensation, if the Marcos ill-gotten wealth conundrum is not yet “settled” at the time Noynoy takes over the administration.
Chavez hits it right: the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth is not only about recovering the billions of pesos and transferring them to the national coffer, although this is good in itself. But more than recovering the mammoth amount, getting back what is stolen from this nation, or for that matter to anyone, is getting back our sense of dignity. In the final reckoning, getting back the ill-gotten wealth, all ill-gotten wealth, no matter how it takes time, ensures a clear statement, a clear message, a clear history to our children and children’s children.
This nation, after all, is not a “damaged” culture. This is not a nation of corrupt people. This is a nation that calls corruption for what it is, and will take at whatever lengths it may do or lead us into to right what is wrong. Yes Oholliab, robbing anyone, and for that matter a nation, is wrong. This is the simple truth why we need to recover, and not “settle,” the Marcosses’ ill-gotten wealth, all ill-gotten wealth,
tobe_wtdpoor@yahoo.com
