Bongbong Marcos Wants to Strengthen PCGG if He Wins, But Lacson Reminds Him of Its Primary Mandate

Presidential frontrunner Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.'s CNN Philippines interview gave audiences a few of his plans for the country should he win. One of them is to strengthen the role of Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).

“Instead of directing themselves against the Marcoses only, I mean kung meron akong corrupt na kamag-anak, eh di lalabas ang pangalan niya but not only us, lahat,” he said during the interview. “Nasa ibang panahon na tayo eh. Hindi na ‘yun (ill-gotten wealth) ang issue. Ang issue is just graft and corruption in the government."

Marcos, Jr. had also previously stated that he will be looking to provide the PCGG with a bigger budget and additional manpower. “They’re (PCGG) already there. Eh 'di gamitin mo na. Patibayin mo pa para talagang meron kang agency na walang ginawa kundi nagbabantay na walang gumagawa ng kalokohan."

In 1986, under the Office of the President, the PCGG was Executive Order No. 1 The agency's primary mandate is the recovery of the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by Marcos, Jr.'s father, Former President and Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., his family, friends, and cronnies here and abroad.

PCGG claimed in 2019 that it had already recovered P172 billion in ill-gotten wealth from the Marcos family.

The exact amount of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth is heavily debated to this day. In a 1985 report to the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Stephen Bosworth estimated that the Marcoses had stolen an roughly $10 billion "in recent years." The Marcoses were said to have amassed roughly $5 billion to $13 billion. Experts like Marcos-era economist Jesus Estanislao once suggested that the amount could be as much as $30 billion.

In the interview, Marcos, Jr. also said that he will not tolerate graft and corruption once elected president.

“Leading by example is very simple. Do not tolerate this kind of ‘yung ginagawa na kinukuha ‘yung pera ng gobyerno," the former senator claimed. "At a lower level in bureaucracies, if we improve the efficiency, ang ideal diyan lalo na sa lower levels, walang fixer."

He continued: “At a higher level it goes back to the people you choose. Meron talaga diyan walang inisip kung hindi ‘Paano tayo kikita rito?’ Huwag tayong kukuha ng mga ganun. At kung meron mang nakalusot na may ginawa, parusahan mo."

Fellow presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, however, reminded Marcos, Jr. that targeting other allegedly corrupt officials falls under the mandate of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), not the PCGG.

During a visit to Ormoc City, Lacson said: “Wala (‘yon sa mandate ng PCGG). Actually, ‘yung PCGG was created to run after the Marcos wealth. Kung i-expand, mayroon naman tayong PACC na, ‘di ba? Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and mayroon tayong Ombudsman, mayroon tayong Sandiganbayan."