An opposition lawmaker on Sunday criticized Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos for showing up at the birthday party of her daughter, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, hours after the Sandiganbayan sentenced her to up to 77 years in prison for graft.
“This is a mockery of the Filipino people who had fought a decades-long uphill battle to bring the Marcoses to account for their crimes,” Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said in a text message.
“Given that it took decades for her conviction to be (handed down), her arrest is way long overdue,” he added.
Photos of the widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos attending her daughter’s birthday celebration on Friday spread on social media over the weekend, drawing criticisms from netizens.
Hilbay’s challenge
Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay challenged the Philippine National Police to immediately arrest the former first lady and “show the same resolve… it had shown” when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the arrest of his staunchest critic, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
He said the PNP’s failure to implement the arrest warrant against Rep. Imelda Marcos was “an indication that the government was serious only in pursuing its critics, but not its allies.”