The Manila Times

Lozano doesn’t represent Marcoses – Bongbong

- JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA AND LLANESCA T. PANTI

FORMER senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. denied on Tuesday any knowledge of the supposed proposal of lawyer Oliver Lozano to settle the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family sequestere­d by the government.

He issued the statement following reports that Lozano, a known loyalist of the Marcoses, submitted a draft proposal offering government a share of the wealth and properties in exchange for the lifting of the freeze order.

“The Marcos family has no knowledge or informatio­n of that apparent exchange and service of document between - tary Sal (Salvador Panelo, chief presidenti­al legal counsel),” the former senator said.

One of the proposals in Lozano’s draft was the creation of a legal team that would study a compromise agreement with the Marcoses.

“Oliver Lozano does not represent any member of the Marcos family or the estate of the late President (Ferdinand) Marcos,” Marcos added.

- ing proposals and suggestion on how to settle the Marcos wealth, but that it was not acted upon.

No Marcos ‘compromise deal’ – Palace

Malacañang said on Tuesday the family of the late president Marcos has not proposed a

compromise agreement.

“He (Lozano) submitted a draft [compromise agreement]. He wrote has been submitting a lot of propos acknowledg­es receipt of the same and thanks him for his suggestion­s,” Presidenti­al Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Lozano said his proposal was based on the April 9, 1973 notes of President Marcos “bequeathin­g his earthly goods to the Marcos people” and as such, President Rodrigo Duterte should issue an executive order lifting the government order freezing the Marcos assets, a part of which will go to government.

Lozano, however, did not specify how much the government share should be. He suggested that the Palace form a legal team to deliberate on the matter and on a proposed bill at the House of Representa­tives, which will grant the Marcoses immunity from prosecutio­n.

“Atty. Oliver Lozano has written to Malacañang proposing the creation of a legal team that would study a compromise agreement with the Marcos family. The proposal, however, has not been acted and agreed upon by the Palace,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said. Lozano’s proposal has not been signed by any of the surviving family members of President Marcos Imelda Marcos of Ilocos Norte, Gov. Imee Marcos of Ilocos Norte, Irene Marcos-Araneta and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The late President died in 1989 while he and his family were in exile in Hawaii.

the possible return of the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth in August 29, 2017, saying that the family is even willing to return a few gold bars and even suggested that Congress pass a law to facilitate the process.

The Presidenti­al Commission on Good Government (PCGG) was mandated to go after the illgotten wealth of the Marcoses.

Based on government records, the PCGG has recovered $4 billion out of the $10 billion Marcos loot from 1987 to 2016 and was still going after P179 billion from the Marcoses and their cronies.

Imelda Marcos has at least 10 pending graft cases before the Sandiganba­yan’s Fifth Division. All have been deemed submitted for decision on August 26, three days before President Duterte announced the Marco- ses alleged compromise.

The United States federal court in Hawaii awarded in February 1995 $1.964 billion worth of Marcos’ assets to the victims of his 20- year dictatorsh­ip. The Supreme Court also ruled in July 2003 that the 10,000 claim the Marcoses before the US Federal Court in 1995 were entitled to compensati­on from the $10 billion Swiss bank deposits of the family. The $10 billion Marcos bank deposits were also deemed ill-gotten by the high court in the same July 2003 ruling.

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