Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28, 2022) — Presidential candidate Senator Ping Lacson said he would run after the ₱203 billion unpaid estate taxes of the Marcos family should he win in the upcoming elections.
In a press conference, Lacson said he was wondering how the multi-billion-peso tax liability of the family of fellow presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos was kept under wraps for so long.
“Siguro kung lumabas ‘yan sa panahon ng ibang presidente, baka siningil na ‘yan. ‘Di na umabot ng ₱203 billion… So that should be collected because that should be government’s fund kasi tax collection ‘yun e,” Lacson said.
[Translation: If the issue came out during the term of another president, that could have already been collected. The amount would not have gone up to ₱230 billion… So that should be collected because that should be the government’s fund from taxes.]
For his part, vice presidential candidate Senate President Tito Sotto said they will go after all those who have unpaid taxes to the government.
“Basta lahat ng may utang sa gobyerno, sa kahit anong paraan ‘yan lalo na ‘yung nakita mo sa smuggling, o kahit saan pa, dapat ‘yan singilin kahit ano pa ‘yan, dahil ‘yung nga kababayan nating maliliit, nagbabayad ‘yan ng taxes. Everybody should pay taxes,” Sotto said.
[Translation: Everyone who owes the government, in whichever form, especially those earned in smuggling must pay up, because even our poor countrymen pay taxes. Everybody should pay taxes.]
Earlier, Lacson rebuffed the former dictator’s son on his proposal that the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG) should also go after other corrupt government officials.
The PCGG was created during the term of former President Cory Aquino and its primary mandate was to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.
“Anybody who becomes a president can create by way of an Executive Order what agency he wants to create to address specific problems or issues,” Lacson said during a press conference in Ormoc City on Wednesday.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Marcos said he wanted to strengthen the PCGG to address graft and corruption problems in government.
