Talks between Duterte, Marcoses have not begun: Imee

August 31, 2017

Negotiations between the Marcos family and President Rodrigo Duterte on settling the 31-year-old issue on the former dictator's alleged hidden wealth have not yet begun, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos said Thursday. “There are no negotiations yet. We trust the President (Duterte) that he can put an end to the decades-long cases. The family is discussing this but this is at the hands of our lawyers," said Marcos in an interview with reporters before she attended a congressional hearing. Marcos said their lawyers are discussing the details of  Duterte's statement about the possibility of returning something to the government. “This will be discussed with the lawyers," Marcos said. The governor said she has no knowledge about the statement of House senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list Rep. Lito Atienza that her mother, former First Lady-turned Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, had revealed to him their family had  7,000 tons of gold bars. “I don't know anything about this. I think it’s best that the lawyers respond to all these queries. Thank you,” said the governor. In a speech during the mass oath taking of newly-appointed government officials, Duterte revealed that a representative of the Marcoses, whom he did not name, approached him and made such offer in order to provide additional fund for the government. "They said, 'we'll open everything and hopefully return those which were found already," he said, quoting the Marcoses "spokesman." While the amount could not be that big, Duterte, quoting the spokesman, "'we are ready to open and bring back, including a few gold bars (to the government)." DMS