GMA News recalls PCGG role now that another Marcos is in power

CHEERS TO the Need to Know episode of GMA News and Public Affairs Digital, which reminded the citizenry what the role of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is in recovering the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. The episode is pointedly relevant, now that Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., will assume the presidency on June 30. 

The online explainer posted on June 2, started with person in the street (POS) interviews that revealed how limited most Filipinos’ knowledge of the PCGG. This introduction underscored how important these explainers are in the age of widespread mis- and disinformation and in the transition to another Marcos administration.

Segment Producer Zay Arguelles reviewed Executive Order (EO) No. 1 that the late President Corazon Aquino issued on February 28, 1986. It explained that the PCGG was created after Marcos Sr.’s ouster and was meant to recover the Marcoses’ and their cronies’ ill-gotten wealth.The Commission’s tasks as specified in EO No. 1, Section 2 are:

1. The recovery of all ill-gotten wealth accumulated by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordinates and close associates, whether located in the Philippines or abroad, including the takeover or sequestration of all business enterprises and entities owned or controlled by them, during his administration, directly or through nominees;
2. The investigation of such cases of graft and corruption; and
3. The adoption of safeguards to ensure that the above practices shall not be repeated in any manner under the new government, and the institution of adequate measures to prevent the occurrence of corruption.

Lawyer Ruben Carranza, former Commissioner of PCGG, told GMA News that the PCGG is unique in history in its mandate to go after dictators and their ill-gotten wealth. He said this is because most foreign and ousted dictators have been jailed, exiled in other countries, or killed without their loot being recovered. 

PCGG estimated that PHP 500 billion was amassed in ill-gotten by the regime of the late Marcos Sr. The report also discussed the following key landmark decisions:

• July 2003 – The Supreme Court ordered the Marcoses to return $658 million in Swiss bank deposits to the Philippine government;
• March 2014 – The Supreme Court ruled to return the “Arelma funds” to the Philippines; and
• February 2016 – The Philippine government approved the public exhibit and auction of Imelda Marcos’ jewelry collection amounting to PHP 1 billion. This consists of the Malacañang collection, the Roumeliotes collection, and the Hawaii collection.

As of 2020, more than PHP 174 billion have been recovered by the Commission, including real estate and the more than PHP 100 billion in coconut levy funds. Collections and remittances were divided for distribution to farmers, human rights victims and the Commission’s fund. As explained by Carranza, this was achieved through three laws: the Agrarian Reform Law, Coconut Levy Fund Law, and the Human Rights Victims Reparation Law. As of 2021, PHP 125 billion were still unpaid by the Marcoses.

Arguelles said that their news team reached out to Marcos Jr.’s Spokesperson Vic Rodriguez, Marcos Jr.’s press office, and Press Secretary-designate Trixie Cruz-Angeles via text, email, and Facebook. But they received no response. The Marcos camp’s last statement on the matter was on March 16 at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, where Marcos Jr. said there is “a lot of fake news involved” on the Marcos wealth, despite the court rulings mentioned above.

Arguelles ended the report with the question, “Sa pagharap ng Pilipinas sa isang panibagong pamahalaan, ano ang garantiya na mababawi pa ng republika ang mga nakaw na yaman na dapat naman ay para sa mga mamamayan?”

(As the Philippines faces another administration, what guarantees the republic that it will recover the ill-gotten wealth that should be for the people?)

This account provided the numbers and the verified facts about the family’s enrichment while in power, when they amassed wealth to support their lives of inordinate luxury. The media must not let the Marcoses distort the facts, and must hold them even more accountable now that they are returning to the Palace.