Sandiganbayan orders son of Marcos Sr. associate to pay workers

The Sandiganbayan Centennial Building in Quezon City. (INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has ordered the enforcement of a July 2023 ruling ordering a Marcos Sr. associate to pay a lumber company’s workers P2.1 million in damages as well as return 60 percent of their company’s shares and pay all unpaid benefits.

The writ of execution, issued on Nov. 7, enforces a July 18 ruling finding Peter Sabido, son of alleged Marcos crony Roberto Sabido, liable for the “anomalous transactions” he entered in as president of the Lianga Bay Logging Company Inc. (LBLCI), which resulted “to the prejudice of the employees and workers of the company.”

Since Sabido has not filed any motion for reconsideration or appeal, the July 18 ruling has now become “final and executory,” the court said.

Among others, Sabido was ordered to return 60 percent of LBLCI’s shares; all unpaid retirement benefits, back wages and salaries; P1 million in moral damages, and P1 million in exemplary damages; and P100,000 in cost of suit, to the employees of LBLCI.

The workers are represented by their union, Diatagon Labor Federation (DLF).

The ruling stems from a 35-year-old case filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government against the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., former first lady Imelda Marcos, Sabido, Luis Yulo, Roberto Benedicto, Nicolas Dehesa, Jose Tengco Jr., Rafael Sison, Cesar Zalamea and Don Ferry for securing several loans from state lenders in favor of companies they control, including the Philippine Integrated Meat Company and LBLCI.

The case was dismissed in February 2023 saying that DLF failed to prove that the assets were acquired by Sabido by exploiting his relationship with the Marcoses.

The DLF later appealed the decision and was granted a favorable ruling in July saying the workers were the rightful owner of nearly 35,000 shares of the company.