Castro not government agent – Palace

Malacañang said yesterday former Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairman David Castro, who was reportedly arrested in the US along with a businessman claiming to be the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is is not an agent of the Philippine government.

"Mr. Castro is not authorized by the Arroyo government to collect taxes and payments abroad. Under Philippine laws, the Bureau of Internal Revenue is the only agency authorized to collect tax payments, and this is made through the embassies," Press Undersecretary Roberto Capco said.

The PCGG officials earlier explained that it was their policy to use government-to-government channels and not person-to-person transactions to pursue the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth.

Castro denied accusations yesterday that he was involved in the dealing of fake gold certificates, which led to the arrest of Edilberto Marcos, a businessman claiming to be the son of the former president.

In a statement, his family confirmed that all this time, the former PCGG chairman has been confined at a New York Hospital for high blood pressure, following elevated blood sugar levels resulting from diabetes.

The 68-year-old lawyer was also said to have been confined for physical therapy to recover from a fracture he sustained from a fall at a Manhattan street corner on his way to New Year’s Eve Mass.

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported the other day that

Marcos was arrested in New York after trying to sell an undercover agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) a fake safekeeping receipt for a $20-million share certificate in gold stored in a Swiss bank.
The Post added that Castro, a director of a company set up by Marcos, was also arrested after claiming he needed to collect taxes on any transaction involving the gold.

Solomon Castro, son of the former PCGG chief, said his father has not been charged with the alleged cases mentioned in the Post article, which was carried by Philippine papers.

"We spoke to him today, and he is well and in high spirits. He has been seriously maligned before, but he said his resolve to pursue the truth about the Marcos hidden wealth is even stronger now and even greater than the assuredness of those who seek to hide the truth or those who wish to recover the wealth only for themselves," said the young Castro, who also serves as his father’s spokesman.

"Everyone will hear from him soon and he will make a statement when he returns to Manila," Castro’s only son said.

Castro is still recuperating but is in constant touch with family, lawyers and associates, he said.

Castro’s family in Manila has also contacted the Post to confirm if Victoria Button, the correspondent who wrote the exclusive story in Hong Kong, was actually in New York to witness the arrest of the former PCGG chief or was merely fed information by a third party or source.

"Neither the New York Times nor the New York Post covered the sting operation," they said.

An editor of the Post has promised the family that Button would call them to clarify the basis of the story.

Marcos family raps pretender

"He is an impostor, fraud and a swindler."

This was how the Marcos camp described the businessman who was arrested by the FBI for selling fake gold certificates.

In a telephone interview, Cherry Cobarrubias, spokeswoman for former First Lady Imelda Marcos, said Edilberto del Carmen, alias Edilberto Marcos, is a well-known con artist who is wanted in the country for a string of estafa cases.

Cobarrubias made it clear that Del Carmen is not the son of the late president.

The man arrested by FBI agents Friday is wanted by Hong Kong’s International Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for an alleged international plot to obtain credit using $148 billion in fake US Federal Reserve notes. The Post reported that Marcos lived the high life in Hong Kong before going to the US.

Cobarrubias said that in 1998, someone had introduced her to Del Carmen, who was looking for connections as part of his plan to fund projects in the country.

"I was able to talk to him thrice, but from the start, I sensed he was not honest and sincere. My doubts were confirmed when on the third meeting he claimed to be the son of the late President Marcos," she said.

Cobarrubias said he immediately told her friends to be cautious of Del Carmen, and warned them against entering into business deals with the man.

"Background information revealed that he is wanted for a string of estafa cases," she said. "These people who are using the Marcos name to enrich themselves should stop their illegal activities." — Jose Rodel Clapano