‘HR victims can’t claim deposits of Marcoses’

Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairperson Haydee Yorac said yesterday that it was legally impossible for the agency to allot the $35-million alleged Marcos deposits in a Panamanian firm to the 10,000 human rights victims during the Marcos regime.

"The law (creating) the PCGG directs all (its) financial and other recoveries toward the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). There are no two ways about that," Yorac said.

The Claimants 1081 faction of the human rights victims has been eyeing the $35-million alleged Marcos deposits in Arelma Inc., a Panamanian firm believed to be a dummy corporation of the Marcos family.

They wanted the deposits to be the initial payment for the $2.9 billion in damages awarded to them by US District Court of Hawaii Judge Manuel Real.

Claimants 1081’s lawyer Rod Domingo and prime mover Etta Rosales recently met with President Arroyo to convince the government to waive its claim on the deposits. The President tossed their proposal to Yorac for review.

Yorac, however, said there is a need to amend the CARP law for the human rights victims to lay their hands on the Marcos assets.

"So if you are talking about ill-gotten wealth, you are talking about money or assets which, if recovered, should be delivered to support CARP. I, myself, have some reservation about this," she added.