Ejercito: Bongbong must pay estate tax ‘if found guilty’, but due process must be given
MANILA, Philippines — If proven, presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has to pay the unsettled estate tax of his family; however, he has to be given due process first.
Senatorial candidate JV Ejercito said this Monday despite previous pronouncements from the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) calling on the Marcos family to settle their estate tax which has ballooned to over P200 billion.
READ: PCGG: Judgment on Marcos family’s estate tax case final and executory
“We should be a government of laws and not of men. If it’s really due, then I think it should be paid,” Ejercito said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“In fairness to BBM (Bongbong Marcos), I think he has to be given the due process also. If proven, he has to pay but he has to be given due process just like any other citizen. It’s really hard to say to pay his taxes if we do not really have enough documents and any evidence for him to be compelled to,” he added.
According to Ejercito, the national government also has to improve its legal team, saying “they have been losing their cases against the Marcoses.”
Asked if he believes laws were broken with the Marcoses not settling their tax, Ejercito said: “We have to be a government of laws. Then if it’s found that there’s really enough and sufficient evidence then he has to pay.”
“But I just hope that he will be given the due process. It has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt that he really owes that much to the government,” Ejercito said.
“It’s political season so I don’t really like to ride on issues until there’s really enough evidence to really prove that there were tax liabilities,” he added.
In early March, the Marcos camp said that the estimated P200 billion estate tax of the Marcos family remains unsettled since the properties linked to the case are still under litigation.
READ: Bongbong Marcos spox on unpaid estate taxes: This is all about politics
The PCGG, however, said that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) “already executed its final assessment” on the involved properties as early as 1993 and that “as early as 1997, the judgment on the tax case had become final and executory.”
BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay confirmed that they have sent a written demand to the Marcos heirs last December 2021 with regards to their unpaid tax liability.
READ: BIR confirms sending written demand to Marcos family on P203 billion tax liabilities
