Sandigan asked to order Marcoses to pay government P51 B

MANILA, Philippines – Prosecutors have asked the Sandiganbayan to order the Marcoses and their associates to pay the government more than P51 billion for their alleged kickbacks from Japanese firms that provided equipment for government projects.

The government is seeking to recover ill-gotten wealth consisting of funds and other properties which the defendants allegedly amassed during their rule from Dec. 30, 1965 to Feb. 25, 1986.

In a civil suit filed on March 14, 2008, prosecutors asked the anti-graft court to order the defendants to pay the government moral damages in the amount of P50 billion and exemplary damages in the amount of P1 billion, as well as attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, judicial costs, nominal damages, temperate damages and actual damages in unspecified amounts.

The prosecutors urged the Sandiganbayan to order the defendants to return and reconvey to the government all funds and other properties which they had acquired through “abuse of right and power and through enrichments.”

The court was also urged to order the defendants to jointly and severally pay the government the amount of the funds and other properties with interest from the date of unlawful acquisition up to full payment.

The prosecution also wants the defendants to account to the government all legal or beneficial interests in funds, properties and assets of whatever kind in excess of their lawful earnings or lawful income from legitimately acquired property.

In total, the evidence is overwhelming to prove that the assets and properties of defendants were obtained illegally and illicitly, by taking undue advantage of their position and authority, prosecutors added.

Records showed a Reparations Commission headed by the late Gen. Eulogio Balao was created during the Marcos administration to supervise and determine the various equipment needed by the different government agencies for their projects like flood control, telecommunications, agriculture, and construction of public highways.

The Reparations Agreement between the Philippines and Japan was set up to allow Japan to compensate the Philippines for the damages brought about by the Japanese invasion and occupation during World War II. 

Through this agreement, the Philippines was able to acquire various equipment from Japan for use in numerous government projects.

To circumvent the lawful process of bidding the government projects, the contracts were not awarded to the Japanese contractor offering to sell the equipment at a lowest price, but contractors and traders who are willing to give kickbacks to the Marcoses, prosecutors said. – Sandy Araneta