There is well-documented evidence of plunder and human rights violations cases under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., debunking what a pro-Marcos vlogger otherwise claimed.
In a June 28 video, pro-Marcos vlogger Sangkay Janjan TV assailed Agence France-Presse’s latest report on president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., branding as baseless the caption describing the elder Marcos as having “plundered and brutalized the Philippines” under his 21-year dictatorship. He said at the 4:35 mark:
Plundered and brutalized the Philippines? How come? Paano nangyari na nabrutalize ang Philippines or plundered? Ni hanggang ngayon wala maipakitang ebidensiya na nagnakaw ang mga Marcos (Plundered and brutalized the Philippines? How come? How did it happen that the Philippines was brutalized and plundered [under Marcos]? Until now, they still haven’t shown proof that the Marcoses stole money).
The Supreme Court has on several occasions ordered the Marcos family to return their ill-gotten wealth to the government.
In 2003, the high tribunal ordered the forfeiture of the Marcoses’ five Swiss Foundation bank accounts, whose value totaled at least $658 million with interest.
The court likewise ruled that the so-called Arelma funds of the late dictator were ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator and should be forfeited in favor of the government. Marcos’ account under the Panamanian firm Arelma Foundation amounted to $3.37 million in 1983.
A 2017 Supreme Court decision upheld a Sandiganbayan ruling, which ordered the Marcoses to turn over pieces of former first lady Imelda Marcos’ jewelry set worth as much as $153,089.
The Sandiganbayan has convicted Imelda Marcos with seven counts of graft for illegally creating and maintaining Swiss foundations, whose value amounted to nearly $200 million. Each count sentenced her to a minimum of six years and one month and a maximum of 11 years in prison. She is also perpetually disqualified from serving in public office.
Pro-Marcos vloggers have previously been fact-checked for repeating false claims over the Marcos family’s ill gotten wealth.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International documented that 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were slain during the martial law era under Marcos Sr.
In 2013, the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act or Republic Act No. 10368 was also signed as the state’s way of “acknowledging its legal and moral obligation for the gross human rights violations committed” during the Marcos regime.
The law allocated at least P10 billion for the reparation of martial law victims, sourcing its funds from Marcos’ Swiss deposits that was returned to the Philippine government in 1997.
The erroneous video has garnered at least 15,000 views and 3,200 likes as of posting (JC).