alex yangco,
On November 8, Congresswoman Imelda Marcos was found guilty of seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan. She was sentenced to serve 6 to 11 years for each of the cases, while also being perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
According to Section 6 of RA 3019, activities of a legislative officer, such as Imelda, that are considered graft are; “…… to acquire or receive any personal pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise which will be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by him previously approved or adopted by the Congress during the same term.”
Imelda Marcos, being the First Lady during the Marcos regime was widely known for her conjugal dictatorship with her husband, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, excessive shopping sprees, expensive jewelry and clothing, and extravagant parties.
Imelda Marcos’s graft cases were first filed against her in 1991, when she allegedly channeled public funds into her family’s 7 Swiss bank accounts.
This graft schemes of the Marcoses stemmed from these so called ‘foundations’ that were primarily set up by her family as entities in which they could store their earnings and profit from their entrepreneurial activities and investments. Lead Prosecutor Rey Quilala said,that the estimated earnings of Marcoses was about USD 200,000,000 or PhP 10,600,000,000 in today’s currency.
This decision has been long overdue. However, it is coming now, later rather than never, and serves as a reminder that the Marcoses are not invulnerable. This also shows that their denial of their corruption is less than credible.
However, graft is a bailable offence, so there might be a possibility that she won’t go to jail, like what happened to the other court decisions made against her in the past. The last time she was accused of 10 counts of graft, she was acquitted to 3 counts and walked away unscathed by the law.
For now, she is using a wheelchair and a” fake” illness that certain politicians use to prolong the case and ask for a house or hospital arrest, like what Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Renato Corona, Juan Ponce Enrile and others did.
But hope is not lost yet, for the House will abide by and support the Sandiganbayan’s decision. The fact that they got a taste of justice is also a big victory, because this will show the people what really happened during the Marcoses’ time in power and establish that no one is immune to the law.
One can also hope this sways people to refrain from voting the Marcoses — this is enough evidence to show that they are not the epitome of virtue and greatness that their supporters see them to be.
The justice system might be slow, and may not take effect immediately. At the end of the day however, one’s reckoning will come. The truth will reveal itself and the verdict shall be sewn onto the tapestry of history.//by Cyrille Villanueva and Alex Yangco
Opinion: There is no get-out-of-jail card, Imelda.
On November 8, Congresswoman Imelda Marcos was found guilty of seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan. She was sentenced to serve 6 to 11 years for each of the cases, while also being perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
According to Section 6 of RA 3019, activities of a legislative officer, such as Imelda, that are considered graft are; “…… to acquire or receive any personal pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise which will be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by him previously approved or adopted by the Congress during the same term.”
Imelda Marcos, being the First Lady during the Marcos regime was widely known for her conjugal dictatorship with her husband, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, excessive shopping sprees, expensive jewelry and clothing, and extravagant parties.
Imelda Marcos’s graft cases were first filed against her in 1991, when she allegedly channeled public funds into her family’s 7 Swiss bank accounts.
This graft schemes of the Marcoses stemmed from these so called ‘foundations’ that were primarily set up by her family as entities in which they could store their earnings and profit from their entrepreneurial activities and investments. Lead Prosecutor Rey Quilala said,that the estimated earnings of Marcoses was about USD 200,000,000 or PhP 10,600,000,000 in today’s currency.
This decision has been long overdue. However, it is coming now, later rather than never, and serves as a reminder that the Marcoses are not invulnerable. This also shows that their denial of their corruption is less than credible.
However, graft is a bailable offence, so there might be a possibility that she won’t go to jail, like what happened to the other court decisions made against her in the past. The last time she was accused of 10 counts of graft, she was acquitted to 3 counts and walked away unscathed by the law.
For now, she is using a wheelchair and a” fake” illness that certain politicians use to prolong the case and ask for a house or hospital arrest, like what Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Renato Corona, Juan Ponce Enrile and others did.
But hope is not lost yet, for the House will abide by and support the Sandiganbayan’s decision. The fact that they got a taste of justice is also a big victory, because this will show the people what really happened during the Marcoses’ time in power and establish that no one is immune to the law.
One can also hope this sways people to refrain from voting the Marcoses — this is enough evidence to show that they are not the epitome of virtue and greatness that their supporters see them to be.
The justice system might be slow, and may not take effect immediately. At the end of the day however, one’s reckoning will come. The truth will reveal itself and the verdict shall be sewn onto the tapestry of history.//by Cyrille Villanueva and Alex Yangco
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