'Let next administration act on Imelda jewels'

MANILA, Philippines - Senators warned yesterday the Arroyo administration and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) against pursuing the sale of about P15-billion worth of jewelry seized from former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Senators Francis Pangilinan and Francis Escudero said the plan to auction the so-called Imelda jewels should be left to the next administration.

“To avoid suspicion, (it is) better if the sale is left to the new administration with utter transparency,” Pimentel said.

Escudero described the planned sale of the Imelda jewels as another “midnight deal” of the Arroyo administration.

“The GMA government should restrain itself, out of propriety and courtesy, from entering into ‘midnight deals.’ Further, let prospective bidders or buyers be forewarned that these transactions may be nullified and declared illegal later,” Escudero said.

Three major auctioneers recently arrived to assess the value of the Imelda jewels, which were seized by the government from the Marcoses when they fled the country in 1986 following the people power revolution.

“The government is not a business going bankrupt wherein it undergoes a sale where everything must go. It is now sunset for the Arroyo administration, hence this matter and all other matters pertaining to the disposition and sale of government acquired assets as well as entering into long-term contracts that will bind the future administration must be put on hold,” Pangilinan said.

“What the Arroyo administration should, in a manner of speaking, be focused on is where to hold its wake and final rites… midnight contracts and appointments are both illegal and ethically frowned upon,” Pangilinan said.

In a statement, the PCGG commissioners said the agency has not authorized Commissioner Ricardo Abcede, who is vigorously pushing for the auction of the jewelry, or anybody to pursue efforts to auction off the seized jewelry.

The PCGG said that the commission, in a meeting last May 6, had discussed a proposal to auction the confiscated jewelry but decided to leave the matter to the next administration.

“At this meeting, the commission noted that there has been no resolution of the commission authorizing the sale of the collection,” the PCGG statement said.

“(PCGG) Chairman Camilo Sabio and Commissioners Narciso Nario, Tereso Javier and Jaime Bautista agreed that they are in favor of leaving this matter to the next commission,” the PCGG said.

“The commission said there is still a legal impediment to the sale of the so-called Malacañang collection of Marcos jewelry, the ownership of which is still pending litigation in the Sandiganbayan, and that it is not timely to consider this matter because this could be viewed as a so-called midnight transaction,” the statement said.

Adcede brushed aside the decision of other PCGG commissioners to disown his plan to auction the Imelda jewels.

Abcede said in a statement that the other PCGG commissioners couldn’t stop him from pursuing the efforts to sell the seized jewelry.

“Imelda’s jewels have been gathering dust in the vaults since Corazon Aquino’s presidency and through the presidency of Fidel Ramos, and Joseph Estrada. If the PCGG thinks the Arroyo presidency should await the presidency of Noynoy Aquino before taking steps to auction off the jewels, then the PCGG will hear a loud – and yes, disrespectful – No from me, the next time we meet en banc,” Abcede said in his statement.

Abcede has not answered or returned calls made to his cell phone since the PCGG issued an official statement last Tuesday, declaring that the top PCGG leadership, led by its chairman Camilo Sabio and Abcede’s fellow commissioners Narciso Nario, Tereso Javier and Jaime Bautista, had not given Abcede the authority to proceed with the auction of the jewels.  – With Rainier Allan Ronda