Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3) — Presidential bet Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said no politicking was involved in his call for the heirs of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to pay billions in estate tax as it is the duty of every Filipino to follow the law.
“It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about our obligation. Obligasyon ng bawat mamamayan ‘yon, lalo na ‘pag ikaw ay tatakbo sa public office. Just the same, I did not come out with that, it was there for 30 years, ayaw lang nilang sundin ang batas,” Moreno said at an event in Occidental Mindoro on April 1.
[Translation: It is every citizen’s obligation, especially when you are running for public office. Just the same, I did not come out with that, it was there for 30 years, they just did not want to follow the law.]
Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has claimed that “there’s a lot of fake news involved” in his family’s unpaid estate tax despite the 1997 Supreme Court ruling that they must settle their tax liabilities.
Aksyon Demokratiko earlier said the Marcos family should voluntarily pay their tax liabilities to show their sincerity. The party, headed by Moreno, also warned that if Marcos is elected president, his family’s tax liabilities would likely be forgotten.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue has confirmed that it has been demanding the Marcos family to settle their estate tax debt, which Moreno’s camp has claimed to have ballooned from ₱23 billion in 1997 to over ₱203 billion.
The general counsel of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the political party of Marcos, agrees that the Supreme Court ruling on his family’s estate tax worth ₱23 billion is final and executory, but the surcharges for the debt over the past years could still be subject to reconciliation.
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Moreno stressed that the Marcoses should not be exempt from any law.
“Sana all nagbabayad. Dahil nga siguro sikat sila, pinagpala silang pamilya, siguro makapangyarihan silang pamilya. Kaya sa inyo, ‘yung batas applicable, sa kanila hindi applicable. Ngayon, uulitin ko, Abril ngayon, bayaran ng buwis. Sana all,” he said.
[Translation: I hope everyone pays. Maybe because they are famous, their family is privileged and powerful, so the law is applicable to you but not to them. Now, I repeat, it’s April, time for paying taxes. I hope everyone pays.]
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