PCGG to Lucio: Allow Bongbong to testify

An official of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) said yesterday business tycoon Lucio Tan should allow Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to testify before the Sandiganbayan to help resolve the issues surrounding the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family.

PCGG legal affairs chief lawyer Jay Miguel said in a phone interview that in the interest of justice, Tan’s lawyers should allow the young Marcos to testify before the anti-graft court over the alleged shares of the Marcoses in some companies owned by the tycoon.

“In order to ascertain the truth, Rep. Marcos should be allowed to testify,” he said.

Marcos was not able to make his testimony before the court due to the objections raised by defense lawyers during the hearing, where he was presented by the government as a hostile witness against Tan.

Miguel said this will only delay further the government’s effort to recover the alleged ill-gotten wealth of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

“The delay is not attributable to the Republic but to Lucio Tan’s counsel due to the objections he raised, which ultimately the court ruled against,” Miguel said.

The PCGG also emphasized that the claim of the Marcoses that they own 60 percent shares in some of Tan’s businesses already helped the government establish a link between the late president and the business tycoon.

Among these corporations are Shareholdings Inc., Grandspan Development Corp., Himmel Industries Inc., Foremost Farms Inc., Silangan Holdings Inc., Asia Brewery Inc., Fortune Tobacco Corp., Basic Holdings Corp., Falcon Holdings Corp., Supreme Holdings Inc.

Tan, however, maintained that the Marcoses do not own shares in his companies.

“We would now be faced with the burden of proving that the shares owned by the Marcos family are ill-gotten,” Miguel said.

No compromise deal

The PCGG denied allegations of an alliance with the Marcos family after the Sandiganbayan allowed Marcos to testify.

PCGG Commissioner Nicasio Conti said in a statement yesterday that there is no compromise deal with the Marcoses.

“If the Marcos family will be able to convince the court that they have interest in Lucio Tan’s companies, PCGG will definitely ask the court to forfeit them in favor of the Republic,” Conti said.

He gave assurances to the public that the PCGG remains faithful to its mandate to recover ill-gotten wealth.

The PCGG maintains that the interest of the Marcos family in the companies owned by Tan was acquired beyond their lawful income, hence subject to forfeiture, unless they can show proof to the contrary.

The lawful income of the Marcoses was determined by the Supreme Court in the case involving the forfeiture of the Marcos Swiss deposits on July 15, 2003.

According to the SC, from 1966 to 1985, former President Ferdinand Marcos and former First Lady Imelda Marcos had accumulated salaries in the amount of P1.57 million and P718,750, respectively, or a total of P2.28 million.