PCGG hopes to finish cases vs Marcoses, cronies in five years

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is hoping to resolve within five years all the ill-gotten wealth cases involving the Marcos family and cronies of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos if "no settlement" will be made.

In a recent press conference, PCGG Commissioner William Dichoso as well as other commissioners and their chairman Camilo Sabio reiterated that they are open to a compromise deal if the government and the Marcoses would agree, and if the courts would allow it.

"(There are a) total of 580 cases against Marcos and his cronies. We are pursuing the cases and the hearings are continuous. We are now trying to pursue vigorously that all these cases be set for hearing so that these can be resolved immediately," said Dichoso.

What the PCGG is now trying to do, Dichoso said, is to appeal to the judiciary, especially the Sandiganbayan, to resolve all pending cases, anticipating that either party might elevate the cases to the Supreme Court.

"If they will really set for hearing and resolve these, say within this year or next year, we are aiming at (finishing the cases). I hope we can, in five years. Siguro malinis na ito hopefully (we would have hopefully cleaned these all up)," said Dichoso.

"My golly, we cannot wait for another 20 years. Wala na ako sa mundo na iyan ( I wouldn’t be here on earth by then). Let us be realistic, 20 years is 20 years. We are in a hurry. We are trying now to ask our lawyers to hopefully finish this within five years from now," he added.

Dichoso said the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will act as the government’s prosecutor in the many civil cases against the Marcoses. For criminal cases, it will be the Office of the Ombudsman.

At present, Dichoso said they have tapped volunteer lawyers or what they call "special counsel" to help the government in the cases, citing the OSG’s lack of financial resources and manpower.

Dichoso also expressed concern over the PCGG’s dwindling budget. The Senate had proposed a P1 budget for the PCGG after Sabio refused to answer senators’ queries.

In an amicable settlement of the Marcos cases, Dichoso explained "there must be a meeting of the minds of both parties."

"Even if one party wants to settle, if the other party refuses, you cannot settle. Even if both parties want to settle, if the court disapproves it, then you cannot also settle. When I say a few more years, this refers to a full-blown trial. Now if it is settlement, you can finish it even tomorrow. If the parties will agree, it is reasonable, and if the courts will approve, we can finish very soon," he said.

Meanwhile, PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede said the agency is open to a reconciliation with the dictator’s widow, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and other Marcos family members. But he clarified that the government must first see what "overarching reconciliation" it could reach with the Marcoses.

In an interview over the weekend with reporters at the PCGG offices in Mandaluyong City, Abcede cited the case of the multimillion-dollar jewelry collection of the former first lady.

"I wish this (jewelry case) would be part of an overarching reconciliation between the government and Mrs. Marcos. I am more interested there. Do we go on with the cases or is there a way that the government could find ways and means to have a comprehensive reconciliation with the Marcoses?" Abcede said.

"With this overarching reconciliation idea, the jewelry case is just a part of it, and then iba pa niyang naka-sequester na property (the issue of sequestered properties is different). I wish ganon sana (that’s how it can be handled)," he said.