President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said that he wants Congress to pass a law giving immunity to the Marcoses, should negotiations proceed with the return of alleged ill-gotten wealth that they stole from the government.
“Etong mga Marcos, hindi ‘to papayag na isauli nila yung pera tapos kulungin mo sila… so I said, they have to craft a law for that and that is immunity,” the President said at the sidelines of Metrobank’s 55th Founding Anniversary.
The President insisted that the Marcoses aren’t fools to proceed at talks returning alleged ill-gotten wealth from government coffers, without the guarantee of immunity for the pending cases that they have.
“Why should you throw the Marcoses to jail? If I were them, I would rather not return the money,” Duterte said, responding to criticisms on his supposed deal with the late President’s eldest daughter, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.
Duterte however, vowed that he would take a “neutral” stand on the pending cases filed against the Marcoses, whom he earlier asked Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to intervene.
The President likewise clarified that his suggestion will be part of a “new deal” between the government and the Marcoses, which is separate from their pending cases before the Sandiganbayan.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives would look into Duterte’s request for Congress to negotiate for the return of the alleged stolen wealth of the Marcoses, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Tuesday.
“We will discuss it, whether we have the power to give the President the authority to negotiate for the return [of the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family]. That was the first time [that the President asks Congress about the matter],” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said the House has yet to receive any communication from Malacañang on the matter.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said his panel is ready to conduct a hearing to determine Congress’ authority over the President’s power to negotiate for the alleged hidden wealth of the Marcos family.
“If a congressman will file a resolution to conduct an inquiry we will do so,” Pimentel said.
But Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said President Duterte does not need any new law or authority from Congress to negotiate for the return of any or all the “hidden wealth” of the Marcoses.
“The President of the Republic has the continuing principal authority under existing law to recover the Marcos ill-gotten hoard with the assistance of the Presidential Commission on Good Government [PCGG],” Lagman said at a news conference.
Lagman said the PCGG, which was created by the late President Corazon Aquino under Executive Order 1 on Feb. 28, 1986, is “charged with the task of assisting the President” in “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.”
“Under Executive Order No. 1, the President can also cause the investigation of the cases of graft and corruption which he may assign to the PCGG,” Lagman said.
‘Moreover, the President even on his own accord can negotiate the surrender of the ill-gotten hoard in the same manner that he can negotiate for the surrender of a high profile suspected criminal without any act of the Congress,” Lagman said.
“However, the unwritten rule in the projected negotiation must conform to transparency, accountability and no conditionality.”