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The Philippine government will insist that the $150-million settlement between human rights victims and the Marcos family be paid directly to the nearly 10,000 claimants,
President Estrada said yesterday.
The President, in effect, heeded the advice of Sen. Franklin Drilon to recall the waiver that Mr. Estrada initially approved allowing Hawaii District Court Judge Manuel
Real to designate a bank in Hawaii that would disburse the payment upon remission of the amount.
Drilon, who was a guest on the President's radio program yesterday, explained that during last Friday's Senate hearing, it was learned that the waiver covered not only the
$150 million but the entire $590 million in Marcos money currently held in escrow at the Philippine National Bank.
The Presidential Commission on Good Government issued the waiver to Real after the PCGG learned the President backed the compromise deal.
"It appears that we have no capacity and capability to do this for the rights victims," Mr. Estrada said.
"Secondly, the judge has no more jurisdiction over the payment because the money belongs to the people. The victims are also Filipinos so we should be the one to
supervise the payment. It's like an insult to us, as if we can't be trusted," he added.
The President's reaction confirmed senators' fears that he was "ill-advised" when he approved the memorandum of understanding -- which contained the waiver --
between the PCGG, the PNB and six Marcos dummy foundations.
He admitted yesterday that he personally pushed for the forging of the settlement agreement -- down from the original $2 billion originally awarded by the Hawaii court to
the rights victims -- in order to facilitate payment of the indemnification claims.
However, several technicalities loom before the money can be finally disbursed. One of these is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), which requires that all
proceeds from ill-gotten wealth go directly to the government's land reform program.
But Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas said yesterday that Congress may consider passing a concurrent resolution regarding the settlement agreement instead of amending Republic Act
6657 (the CARL law), "if President Estrada will ask for it."
BIR move may leave victims penniless
Meanwhile, Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri opposed the government's plan to seize $590 million of the Marcos money to settle the estate's P23.5 billion in tax liabilities,
saying this would leave the 9,539 rights victims penniless.
Zubiri said the seizure of Marcos' loot by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) would inevitably include the confiscation of the money intended for the victims of the late
dictator's regime.
"This could be a case of stolen money being stolen again. The Marcoses' notoriety is being used by the BIR as an excuse to gobble up the whole amount," he said.
He noted that "blood money" should not be taxed much less confiscated, and that "there is no honor in profiting from the suffering of others."
In a related development, Atty. Rod Domingo Jr. slammed the Marcoses yesterday for questioning the right of all 9,539 claimants to compensation.
"Why are they (the Marcoses) making a fuss only now?," he asked, adding that Judge Real himself approved the list of claimants.
According to Domingo, all that remains now is to verify the list of the claimants, which he said would take minimal effort on the part of martial law victims.
"The judge is issuing a short claims form he himself designed to make it easier for every claimant to finish the verification process," he said.
Domingo was reacting to a statement issued the other day by the Marcos camp, which said only a little over a hundred of the claimants were authentic rights victims during
the dictator's regime.
Real is set to hold a final hearing April 29 to establish whether the compromise deal is acceptable to all parties.
By MARICHU VILLANUEVA, with reports from Romel Bagares, Jose Rodel Clapano, DPA
The Philippine Star, March 7, 1999
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