Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25) — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has insisted he’d rather talk about his plans for the country than dwell on heated issues about his family’s supposed crimes.
He said this in his interview in One News PH’s “Sa Totoo Lang” on Monday as he parried questions hounding his candidacy, like the possible abolition of the agency looking into his clan’s ill-gotten wealth, and the apparent Tallano gold urban legend.
The media-averse presidential bet denied he is scared of facing mainstream media after he refused to join the presidential interviews conducted by GMA News’ Jessica Soho. Marcos declined the invitation from the Peabody awardee due to her alleged bias. Asked what being biased means to him, he replied, “anti-Marcos.”
“Siguro naman sa pinagdaanan ko sa buhay ko maliwanag naman na hindi ako duwag na tao,” he noted.
[Translation: Perhaps with what I’ve been through, it’s clear I am not a coward.]
The son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos said he’d rather talk about his platform rather than dwell on human rights abuses related to the martial law years, and ill-gotten wealth issues that continue to bug his family up to this day.
“Ang mahalaga ay pagusapan ang mga bagay na top of mind ng ating kababayan. Iyon sa palagay ko ang mas mahalaga at hindi na tayo babalik sa mga isyu na 35 years old na. Nadecide na iyan eh. So puntahan natin ang mga bagong problemang hinaharap natin ngayon,” he said during the interview.
[Translation: “What’s important is to to talk about things on top of our countrytmen’s minds. That in my opinion is what’s more significant and we’re not going back to issues from 35 years ago. Those had been decided. So let’s deal with the new problems we’re facing now.]
However, some of the ill-gotten wealth cases against the Marcoses have yet to be resolved. Of the estimated $10 billion the Marcoses and their cronies supposedly stole from government coffers, the Presidential Commission on Good Government or PCGG said it has so far recovered over P170 billion and is still in the process of chasing after P125 billion more in assets.
Not thinking of PCGG
Marcos was asked if he will abolish the PCGG, the agency tasked to recover the alleged stolen wealth of President Marcos, his family, and their cronies.
“The truth is I have no idea, never ko pa naiiisip ‘yan [I’ve never thought about it]. To be perfectly candid to you, I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it at all,” he answered.
PCGG was created by former President Corazon Aquino in the aftermath of the 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the 20-year rule of the Marcoses.
Denying possession of gold
Marcos also denied he has personal knowledge that his family is stashing Yamashita treasure, and gold bars from the so-called Tallano clan.
“Sa buong buhay ko hindi pa ako nakakakita ng gold na ganyan. Marami akong kilala na kung saan-saan naghuhukay pero ako wala pa akong nakitang kahit anong klaseng gold na sinasabi nila,” he said.
[Translation: I have never seen that kind of gold in my entire life. I know of people digging here and there, but I haven’t seen the kind of gold they talk about.]
The Yamashita treasure refers to the alleged loot of World War II Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita which the Marcos Sr. allegedly found while he was a guerilla commander.
Meanwhile, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, the political party founded by the late strongman, posted an elaborate but apparently unverified story on its website that the elder Marcos was the lawyer of the supposedly royal Tallano clan and he was named as trustee of their gold bars.
