Marcos kin offer to return wealth: Prez

Australia to support military

MANILA, Aug 29, (AFP): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday the heirs of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos had offered to return to the government some of the family’s disputed wealth, including “a few gold bars”.

Marcos and his wife Imelda were accused of plundering about $10 billion from state coffers in 20 years in power. A bloodless “People Power” uprising in 1986 chased the family into US exile.

The government announced last month that Duterte, a Marcos ally, may abolish a government agency that has recovered some 170 billion pesos ($3.4 billion) from Marcos and his family.

But Duterte said in a speech to government officials: “They (the Marcos family) told me they’ll open everything, and probably return what is uncovered.”

He did not name the Marcos family member who had approached him, the total being offered or the terms attached to it.

The family member had told Duterte “we are ready to open and bring (it) back ... including a few gold bars”, according to the Philippine president, but the amount involved was “not Fort Knox”. Fort Knox is a vault that stores US gold reserves. Duterte said he would accept the Marcos offer and was looking to appoint a retired justice of the Philippine Supreme Court to negotiate with the family on the government’s behalf.

Duterte’s announcement was the latest development in the remarkable political rehabilitation of the Marcos clan.

Despite the dictator’s death in Hawaii exile in 1989, his family has been making a political comeback in the Philippines with his widow, Imelda, and their children getting elected to office.

No member of the Marcos family went to prison despite the government recovery of some of its fortune through litigation and out-of-court settlements.

Duterte has openly supported the Marcos family, cheering on the Marcos son, Ferdinand Jnr, in his failed bid for the vice-presidency last year.

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Australia Tuesday offered to help train the Philippines military to tackle Islamic militants terrorising parts of the country, calling the threat “deeply concerning”.

Philippine forces have been besieging militants in the southern city of Marawi for almost 100 days. But the gunmen, flying the Islamic State group’s black flag, have defied military assaults including airstrikes and artillery barrages.

Australia, which has an extensive defence cooperation program with Manila, has already deployed two high-tech AP-3C Orion aircraft for surveillance, and is keen to provide further help.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she recently spoke to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte who wanted to bolster resources for his armed forces.

“We would be ready to support the Philippines in the same way we are supporting Iraq in advising, assisting and training,” she said.

“We indicated what we have been doing in Iraq. I went through with the president in some detail the support we have given in Iraq, that does not include troops on the ground. That is advising and assisting.”

Australia is part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, with 780 defence personnel based in the Middle East.

Bishop said it was “deeply concerning” for the entire Asian region that Islamic State had a presence in the southern Philippines, with the United States, Malaysia and Indonesia also offering support.