Isko insists BBM lied on estate tax debt

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday called out former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for insisting that the order for the Marcos heirs to pay P203.8 billion in estate tax is not yet final and executory.

In a chance interview after the opening of the “Tondominium” second tower in Vitas, the Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer said it is up to the public to judge who between the Marcos camp and the Supreme Court is lying.

The high court ruled with finality on the Marcos family’s P23.2-billion estate tax debt in 1997, which ballooned to P203.8 billion due to interests and penalties.

“There are only two possibilities – the Marcos camp is lying or the justices in the Supreme Court are lying. Let the public be the judge,” Moreno said, adding that the Marcos estate tax debt can buy two sacks of rice each for over 59 million Filipinos for a year.

Aksyon Demokratiko party president Ernest Ramel scored Marcos Jr.’s spokesperson Vic Rodriguez for claiming the public is being misled by Moreno camp.

“Please stop your deceptions, attorney Vic Rodrigez. Your allegation that this is all politics is borne out of your arrogance,” Ramel said in Filipino.

Moreno had just finished his two-day campaign sortie in vote-rich Batangas, where he held a grand rally in Sto. Tomas City attended by 25,000 people last Saturday, and another in Lipa city attended by 65,000 Friday.

Moreno had secured the endorsement of the local ruling political party One Batangas, led by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Deputy Speaker and former Batangas governor and actress Vilma-Santos Recto.