Leni slams SolGen’s ‘lawyering’ for Marcoses

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo hit yesterday what she said was the apparent lawyering by Solicitor General Jose Calida for the Marcos family.

Robredo was reacting to the claim of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) that the order of a US court to pay human rights victims during the martial law period was disadvantageous to the government.

“What’s not good here was the OSG itself was the one blocking (the court order). Our solicitor general, for several instances in the past, seems not to be lawyering for the government but for the Marcos family,” the Vice President said in her weekly program over radio station dzXL.

“(Calida) is the solicitor general so he should be prioritizing the interest of the government. But when he has to choose between the interest of the government and the Marcos family, it seems he puts the Marcos family’s interest first which is detrimental to those who depend on the compensation,” she said.

Robredo is facing an electoral protest filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late dictator.

New York district court Judge Katherine Polk Failla last week directed the release of $13.75 million to the human rights victims.

Human rights victims are set to receive $1,500 each starting next month.

But the Philippine government, after initially engaging in negotiations, sought to stop the settlement agreement that will divide the proceeds from the sale of the paintings seized from Vilma Bautista, an aide of former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos. 

The Philippine government would get about $4 million from the settlement.

In a recent statement, the OSG said it is evaluating legal remedies.

“While the Republic fully recognizes that the human rights violation victims stand to benefit from this recent development, the government maintains its position that the proper venue for their claims are the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board or in the probate proceedings where the Marcos estate is being settled,” it said.