Published: January 2, 2013
MANILA — A commission that has been pursuing the wealth of the former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos should be abolished, despite the fact that much of his allegedly ill-gotten wealth has not been recovered, the agency’s head said on Wednesday.
Andres Bautista, the head of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, told reporters on Wednesday that he has recommended to President Benigno S. Aquino III that the special commission be phased out.
“Our recommendation was to wind down work,” said Mr. Bautista, noting that it is more efficient, and less costly for the government, if the Department of Justice handles the hunt for assets and any future cases against Marcos associates. In an earlier interview with Agence France-Presse, Mr. Bautista said, “It has become a law of diminishing returns at this point.”
Mr. Marcos led the Philippines from 1965 to until 1986, when he was overthrown by the bloodless popular revolt known as “People Power.” He declared martial law for part of his time in office and empowered his flamboyant wife, Imelda, to help rule the country.
The Marcos family and their associates are accused by investigators of plundering an estimated $10 billion from the Philippines while millions of Filipinos suffered in grinding poverty. Mrs. Marcos in particular was noted for extravagant displays of wealth that included lavish shopping trips to New York City with a huge entourage that resulted in her buying multimillion dollar jewels and rare works of art.
But in recent years, members of the Marcos family, including Mrs. Marcos herself, have taken prominent political posts, complicating the commission’s efforts.
The commission was created after the pro-democracy leader Corazon C. Aquino, the current president’s mother, came to power in 1986, and it was charged with the worldwide pursuit of the ill-gotten assets of the Marcos family and their associates.
According to one analyst, the abolition of the commission will effectively end the pursuit of that wealth — much of which, by all accounts, remains unrecovered.
“If a special body with extraordinary powers specifically tasked with finding the hidden wealth of Marcos cannot do it then who else is going to?” asked Edre U. Olalia, the secretary general of the human rights organization National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers. “The government is giving up the fight.”
Mr. Olalia said a special commission was still needed because the Marcos family and their associates had the resources to hire the top defense lawyers, who could beat or delay government cases. He said they also were experts at hiding wealth overseas and using influence within the government to obstruct the investigations.
Imelda R. Marcos is now a member of the House of Representatives, while her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is a senator. Her daughter, Imee Marcos, is the governor of a northern province where the family is still well regarded.
Former President Marcos died in exile in the United States in 1989.
Some of the largest companies in the Philippines today are controlled by the close associates of the former President Marcos, and some have been accused by government investigators of assisting in the plunder of billions from the country. None have been convicted, nor have any members of the Marcos family, who all deny wrongdoing.
“The Marcos family is back in power and they have no fear of conviction,” said Mr. Olalia. “They are prancing around with their wealth, saying they are a poor family being prosecuted by the government.”
Mr. Bautista, the head of the commission, noted that the agency had recovered 164 billion pesos (about $4 billion) since its creation, including a 150-carat ruby and a diamond tiara, hundreds of millions of dollars hidden in Swiss bank accounts and prime real estate in New York City.
The agency recently worked with New York authorities to indict Vilma Bautista, the former social secretary of Imelda Marcos, to recover several rare paintings, including one from the water lily series by Claude Monet.
The abolition of the commission must be approved by Mr. Aquino, and both houses of congress, before it takes effect. Lawmakers on Wednesday disagreed about its fate.
“Everybody agrees that the hunt and recovery was not going to be a walk in the park,” said Senator Francis Escudero. “But it’s disappointing that they are throwing in the towel.”
But Senator Joker Arroyo disagreed, and noted that the agency was designed by to have a limited mandate.
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