EDITORIAL - 48-year struggle

In the evening of Sept. 23, 1972, the government of Ferdinand Marcos announced the imposition of martial law nationwide, based on a proclamation that he signed on Sept. 21. In the next 14 years, the dictator and his wife Imelda would use their absolute power not only to rule without opposition but also to amass a mind-boggling amount of wealth.

Forty-eight years later, Filipinos are still trying to get back the bulk of that wealth from the Marcoses and their cronies, a number of whom have died, like the dictator, without ever seeing the interior of a prison cell. Not one of the plunderers has been incarcerated, fueling speculation that nearly half a century since the Marcoses were driven into exile, their wealth continues to bankroll the best justice that money can buy.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government has lamented the dismissal of forfeiture cases it filed against the Marcoses and their co-accused cronies, with the Sandiganbayan saying only photocopies of incriminating documents were presented. The PCGG has pointed out that the originals are still in the possession of the accused, and they are not about to give the anti-graft court the rope for their own hanging.

Last year alone, the Sandiganbayan dismissed four such cases. One involved P200 billion in alleged ill-gotten wealth, filed against Imelda and her children Imee, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Jr. and Irene as well as Constante Rubio. Three other cases involved Marcos assets amounting to P267.371 million, P1.052 billion and P102 billion.

The Sandiganbayan did award to the government $24.325 million worth of artwork as well as jewelry assessed at $110,055 to $153,089, but these constitute a drop in the bucket considering the assets that the Marcoses are still keeping, including priceless paintings by the Masters.

In November 2018, Imelda Marcos was finally convicted of seven counts of graft, with each count carrying six to 11 years in prison. But she has been spared from arrest and has yet to set foot in a prison cell as the case continues to crawl along in the judicial mill.

On the 48th anniversary of the imposition of martial law, state auditors said the government had lost P246.012 million in potential income due to the deterioration of 57 assets that have not been sold.

Other assets have been forfeited in favor of the Philippine government, including millions of dollars stashed in Swiss banks. But there is still so much to recover. The half-century struggle to get back ill-gotten wealth is one of the biggest reasons for the persistence of corruption in this country.