Palace says Duterte not spokesman, negotiator for Marcoses

August 30, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte is not the spokesperson and negotiator for the heirs of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte just wanted to be transparent when he bared on Tuesday the offer of the Marcoses to return "a few gold bars" and their other wealth to the Philippine government.

"PRRD ( President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) disclosed about the issue of the Marcos wealth in his speech in the spirit of transparency," he said.

The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacanang has said in a statement Duterte seemed to be the spokesman and negotiator of the Marcoses.

It said it was not acceptable both the terms of the supposed return of the ill-gotten wealth, as well as the explanation as to why the Marcoses plundered the economy and hid the loot.

Duterte, in a speech during the oath taking of newly appointed officials in Malacanang, has said the "spokesman" for the Marcoses who approached him and brought up the offer explained they kept the gold bars because the late president "was protecting the economy" and he thought that he could still "regain Malacanang."

After his two decade-rule in the Philippines, Marcos was ousted from power through a bloodless people power revolution in February 1986. Corazon Aquino, the widow of late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., Marcos' staunch critic, was catapulted to power.

According to the Marcoses' emissary, the wealth that they would return could help address the government's deficit.

"The remarks of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacanang that President Duterte has become the spokesman and negotiator for the Marcoses entirely miss the point," Abella said.

"The Chief Executive has the best interests of the Filipinos in mind, which is, how our people would benefit from the recovery of the Marcos wealth," he added.

Duterte had admitted that Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos helped and supported him in his presidential bid.

Duterte was seen publicly of having a brief talk with Imee at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on August 28 during the commemoration of the National Heroes' Day.

Duterte has allowed Marcos' remains to be interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani last year despite opposition of the anti-Marcos, mostly those who were victims and their relatives of human rights violations during the past regime. Celerina Monte/DMS