Arroyo-Marcos-Akbayan collusion:
Jockeying by thieves

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

Along with Akbayan's maneuvers in Congress, the regime is trying to pit the interests of the peasantry�supposed beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)�against the martial law victims' just demands. At present, reactionary law provides that all of the Marcos family's ill-gotten wealth should be used for the sham and pro-landlord CARP.

In a statement, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and PAMALAKAYA condemned the Arroyo regime's antipeasant and anti-human rights scheme. The KMP said that the Marcoses and their cronies like Danding Cojuangco are using the pro-landlord CARP to return to power. Any support for this law directly rides roughshod over the livelihood and rights of millions of peasants. SELDA, meanwhile, asserted that the entire amount be immediately dispensed to the victims.

With the reactionary state�s various maneuvers to delay if not obstruct altogether the process of indemnification, many victims fear that the $683 million has already been spent or squandered. Arroyo has admitted that a portion of the amount has already been spent on "land reform." Others say that Arroyo has also appropriated some of the funds to spend in the last election.

On top of all this, Imelda Marcos has expressed elation over a US court decision on February 4. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declared that US courts cannot reverse a decision by the Philippine Supreme Court in 2003 granting the government control over the $683 million of the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth. [The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in response to an appeal filed by the martial law victims (who had filed and won a case in Hawaii) in a lower court in the US to reverse the Supreme Court decision.] This gave Imelda Marcos the impetus to come to an agreement with Arroyo regarding the division of the ill-gotten wealth.

It may be recalled that in 1993, the Ramos regime entered into an agreement with the Marcoses through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to divide the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth 75-25 in favor of the regime. In exchange, however, no criminal or civil cases could be filed against the Marcoses for their crimes against the Filipino people. The Supreme Court subsequently nullified this agreement.

21 February 2005
English Edition

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