Presidential bets want Marcos to pay P203 billion tax

MANILA, Philippines — Four presidential candidates demanded last Saturday that the family of their rival, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., pay P203 billion in estate taxes to enable the government to fund subsidies for marginalized sectors, among others.

The issue of the estate tax debt of the heirs of the late former strongman Ferdinand Marcos was brought up by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso while making a point during the first of the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-organized presidential debates at the Sofitel Manila hotel in Pasay City.

“That family who owed P203 billion in estate tax, I will ensure that it gets paid. I will collect that P200 billion, give it to the farmers, give it to the drivers as part of relief measures to our countrymen who are in dire need of help these days,” Moreno said in Filipino.

Debate moderator and host, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, said it was a clear reference to Marcos, who was the only one among the 10 presidential candidates who did not show up.

Moreno’s dig at Marcos was a rejoinder to a statement made by fellow presidentiable, labor rights leader Ka Leody de Guzman, about the need to source out funds to aid the marginalized sectors like the agriculture and public transport industries.

The Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer said he would be able to slash by half the excise tax on fuel and electricity if the Marcoses paid what they owe the government.

Harping on fiscal management and the equal application of the law, Moreno’s call to the Marcoses to pay their debts resounded with De Guzman and fellow presidential aspirants Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Vice President Leni Robredo during the debate.

“I agree with you on that, pare. We need to get back that P203 billion,” De Guzman said in Filipino, turning to Moreno who smiled back at him.

Lacson, the Partido Reporma standard-bearer, supported the same position and said he found it grossly unacceptable that the government often has to scramble for funds in support of its basic social services programs while letting the rich and powerful get away with billions of unpaid taxes.

“You know, the tax packages we passed, there’s more than one. But it only attained P101-billion—TRAIN 1, TRAIN 2—P101-billion when, in fact, there’s P203 billion just waiting to be collected. Why is the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) not collecting it?” Lacson said in Filipino.

For her part, Robredo bewailed how the government sits in a quandary over whether or not to suspend the excise on oil products in order to give relief to all sectors affected by the rapid and big-time oil price hikes when there is more than P200 billion in unpaid taxes to be collected from one family.

Robredo also said Marcos has been the “direct beneficiary” of the fake news against her. “We need to find the source (of fake news). Two companies which conducted the studies said that I am the number one target of disinformation and the number one beneficiary of disinformation is Mr. Marcos,” she said.

When the discussion centered on fake news, Moreno again used the opportunity to bring back to the table his demand for the Marcoses to settle their tax liabilities.

“This is not fake news – estate tax, P200 billion, the Supreme Court ruled on it with finality,” the mayor said, referring to the 1997 decision that affirmed a Court of Appeals dismissal of Marcos Jr.’s plea against a 1993 levy and sale on 11 real Tacloban properties meant to satisfy the delinquent tax debt.

The Moreno camp earlier got confirmation from the BIR and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) that the tax debt on the Marcos estate – which ballooned from P23.3 billion to P203.8 billion due to interests and penalties – remains collectable.

In an ambush interview after the debate, Moreno said it is up to the voting public if they will allow themselves to be duped by a candidate. The mayor earlier warned the public against voting for a candidate with a tax conviction record.

“That’s your obligation, fulfill it. At the end of the day, it’s up to the voter. Do you want to be made a fool (Gusto niyo matolongges)? It’s up to you,” he said.

Also commenting before media after the debate, Robredo said Marcos’ unpaid estate taxes “say a lot about the kind of person that he is” and “how unqualified he is for the presidency.”

“Can you imagine somebody aspiring to be president owes the government a lot. We should not accept that. But he gets away with it because of disinformation, propaganda. This is not only my problem because he is my opponent, this is our problem,” she said. – Paolo Romero, Helen Flores, Elizabeth Marcelo