‘Imelda’s bail grant undermines poor Pinoys’ trust in courts’

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan’s granting of bail to former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos has undermined the trust of poor Filipinos in the courts, Vice President Leni Robredo said yesterday.

Robredo again raised her concerns over the temporary freedom given to Marcos, noting that it bolsters the perception among Filipinos that justice favors the rich and powerful in the country.

“It gives the impression that if you are rich, or you have high social status, it’s very easy. If you are poor, even if you just committed a simple mistake, you spend years in jail,” the Vice President said in her weekly radio program BISErbisyong Leni over dzXL.

Robredo reiterated that the bail set by the anti-graft court was a mere pittance compared to the billions of pesos the Marcos family stole from the Filipinos. 

“The bail was too small considering the amount that the client (Marcos) could pay,” Robredo said.

The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division convicted Marcos for maintaining and transferring $200 million to her private Swiss foundations along with her husband, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The Marcos children — Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Irene Marcos —were listed among the foundations’ beneficiaries. 

Robredo also said it was “insulting” that Marcos cited poor health to skip her graft hearings but managed to attend the birthday party of her daughter Imee on the same day of her conviction. 

“If they will allow her to get away with it, what message will this bring to the poor? That justice in the country is unfair?” Robredo, who previously worked as a pro bono lawyer, said.

Citing her own experience representing poor clients, Robredo noted the stark difference between the harsh treatment of poor Filipinos facing prosecution and the apparent leniency shown to Marcos.

Meanwhile, on the second anniversary of the late dictator’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani yesterday, former solicitor general Florin Hilbay continued to seek justice for the victims of atrocities during the martial law years.

“We reiterate that he does not deserve the honor of being buried beside some of the country’s heroes,” Hilbay said.

“History has judged him already: Ferdinand Marcos is a dictator, a plunderer, a murderer and a thief,” said Hilbay, who is running for senator under the opposition coalition.

Hilbay also called for the conviction and imprisonment of the former first lady.

“May the memories of those who were tortured, killed, and are still missing because of the Marcos dictatorship serve as a driving force for Filipinos to pursue justice and hold the Marcos family accountable for their sins,” he said.

“May the deaths and stories of injustice fuel our outrage and courage to stand up against (the Marcos) family’s well-orchestrated historical revisionism that mirror the darkest period of our nation’s history,” Hilbay said.

For her part, Sen. Leila de Lima yesterday called on Filipinos to oppose and expose the misdeeds of the Marcoses.

De Lima said Marcos’ conviction by the anti-graft court only further bolstered a “huge insult” on Filipinos with the burial of the late strongman at the Libingan two years ago.

She said the “traitorous” manner in which Marcos was interred at the heroes’ cemetery was “a clear attempt to bury the true history — the corruption and injustice that prevailed during the dictatorship.”

“No matter how they try to hide their misdeeds, in the end, the truth will come out,” De Lima said in a statement from her detention cell in Camp Crame.  

While the wheels of justice moved slowly, it was not too late because “the message was clear to the world: Marcos is not a hero. (Marcos) stole,” she said.

“(Imelda) may be able to post bail, and think of so many reasons not to be jailed, we must correct our justice system that remains unfair to the poor and favors the powerful,” De Lima said. – With Paolo Romero