Admit crime first, Robredo tells Marcoses

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Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday rejected any talk of granting immunity to the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in exchange for part of their ill-gotten wealth without their admission of wrongdoing.

“It would be hard to forgive someone who has not admitted his crime,” she told reporters.

Robredo said Filipinos should not forget that the Marcoses had stolen from the people and then made it very difficult for the succeeding administrations to prosecute them.

“If we look back on history, it has been 31 years since we filed cases but only half has been recovered by government and returned to the people. There is still the other half that have yet to be recovered,” she said.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government estimated Marcos amassed $5 billion to $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth during his 20-year rule. —Nikko Dizon