BBM in deeper trouble with new case
Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has failed to pay the penalties and fines for his 1995 tax conviction, which is at the heart of petitions opposing his 2022 bid.
According to a certification secured by the petitioners to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 105 signed on Thursday, 2 December, there is no record that Marcos complied with the court order.
“This is to certify that there is no record on file of compliance of payment or satisfaction of the decision of the regional trial court dated 27 July 1995, or the Court of Appeals dated October 31, 1997,” the certification said. Atty. Theodore Te, legal counsel of the petitioners on the first petition that they will bring the information to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which is currently in the process of accepting comments to separate Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. et al. answers-in-intervention, where they are given a non-extensible period of five days to file comments.
In the 1995 ruling of Marcos’ tax-evasion case, he is originally sentenced to 9 years in prison and ordered to pay fines worth P72,000 for failing to file his income tax return (ITR) and to pay taxes from 1982 to 1985, aside from his tax deficiencies worth around P20,000.
In 1997, the Court of Appeals (CA) modified the ruling, where Marcos was acquitted on his non-payment of taxes but affirming on his conviction for non-filing of ITR.
The sentence was commuted, but he was still required to pay P36,000 in fines and fees.
It also ordered him to pay the Bureau of Internal Revenue any outstanding income tax liabilities, plus interest.
“Based on this information, petitioners will bring this matter to the urgent attention of the Comelec in SPA 21-156 (DC) and also the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City which is the government agency mandated to enforce the judgment of the RTC,” Te and the other lawyers said in a statement.
According to Te, the court document solidifies their petition against Marcos.
“The certification simply cements what we have already said in the petition. The respondent has been convicted and the sentence remains unserved,” Te said.
Te explained even the ruling was modified by the CA, the penalties imposed by the National Internal Revenue Code, which includes perpetual absolute disqualification remain.
“His continuing evasion of the sentence, coupled with his repeated misrepresentation of his eligibility all those times he ran for public office, is evidence of his intent to deceive the electorate and not to abide by the laws he aspires to execute,” Te said.
There are currently seven petitions being filed against Marcos, either to cancel his Certificate of Candidacy contained multiple false material representations, to disqualify him from running for public office, or to declare him as a “nuisance candidate.”