President Rodrigo Roa Duterte while still busy
attending to his presidential duties in Japan gave the green light to auction
the Marcos jewels- P704.8-million worth of jewelry of former first lady Imelda
Marcos.
These jewelries were seized by the government at
the downfall of her late husband Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. The sale was given a
caveat by the President saying the proceeds of such auction should trickle down
to benefit the public.
"Sabi ni presidente kagabi na payag ang
presidente na makinabang ang taumbayan doon sa mga jewelry. So tinanong ko
siya, "are you going to give the go-signal," sabi niya 'yes',"
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters in Japan.
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| Former first Lady Imelda Marcos (photo credit to owner) |
"Basta ang kailangan makarating sa taong
bayan 'yung sale, 'yung proceeds," Panelo said.
When asked about when can the President sign the
order for the auction, Panelo responded: "Depende na sa kaniya basta (it
depends on him but) he agrees with it."
It should be noted that the Commission on Audit
(COA) made an earlier statement that it only needs the approval of President
Duterte for the Marcos’ jewelry collections to be auctioned.
In a letter dated Sep. 7, 2018, the PCGG wrote to
the Office of the Executive Secretary, COA, and Department of Finance for
guidance and approval of the auction of Marcos’ jewelry collections namely:
- The Malacañan Collection, retrieved in
Malacanang after the EDSA Revolution in 1986
- The Roumeliotes Collection, seized and forfeited
by the Bureau of Customs from Demetrious Roumeliotes, a Greek national and
alleged associate of Marcos, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 1986
- The Hawaii (Honolulu) Collection, confiscated by
the United States government from the Marcoses in Hawaii in 1986
"In relation to this, we are respectfully
requesting for approval from your offices to proceed with all activities
preparatory to disposition, including allowing the above-mentioned auctioneers
access to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) vaults to perform
appraisal," the letter read.
All in all the 3 jewelry collections were valued
at P1 billion at a re-appraisal by auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's in
February 2017.
Christie's described Marcos' jewelry collections
as fit for royalty as it includes Indian diamonds, Burmese rubies and Colombian
emeralds.
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Report from ABS-CBN News
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