Photo by Jire Carreon/ABS-CBN News
Former martial law victims under the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) reiterated their call for the Supreme Court to affirm Sandiganbayan’s decision to convict former first lady Imelda Marcos, as her daughter Imee said that she is “suddenly healthy” after her son Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s win in the presidential elections.
Photo by Jire Carreon/ABS-CBN News
Former martial law victims under the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) reiterated their call for the Supreme Court to affirm Sandiganbayan’s decision to convict former first lady Imelda Marcos, as her daughter Imee said that she is “suddenly healthy” after her son Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s win in the presidential elections.
SELDA vice chairperson Danilo dela Fuente said that Imee Marcos’ statement contradicts her mother’s appeal to defer her imprisonment. “Imelda’s incarceration is long overdue. Now that her daughter has confirmed that she is agile, it’s high time to put her where she belongs: in a prison cell,” he stressed.
In 2018, the widow of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was convicted of seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan due to anomalous transfer of funds to Swiss foundations worth at least $352 million when she was governor of Metropolitan Manila in the 1970s. However, she was allowed by the said court to post bail due to old age and her “state of health.”
“As martial law victims, it is painful to see that one of the biggest thieves in this country is still running free and enjoying the best of geriatric care while the rest of the Filipino people are carrying the burden of paying the debts that her family and cohorts have incurred during their reign. The double standard is so stark with Imelda and her family sashaying back to Malacañang, while 61 elderly political prisoners persecuted by the Duterte regime remain in jail,” dela Fuente lamented.
“And now that her son was proclaimed, it is likely that the incoming regime will absolve her from her sins to the nation. We are urging the High Court to immediately act and dismiss Imelda’s appeal,” he added.
SELDA has inquired about Marcos’ appeal several times from 2019 to 2021, but there is no public information on any action regarding both inquiry and appeal.
“We call on the Supreme Court to uphold truth and justice, and to not to be another accessory to the Marcoses’ grand plot to evade accountability. We call for its swift action and punish Imelda for her crimes against the Filipino people. We are also appealing to the Filipino people, especially the youth, to strongly echo our call for justice and accountability. Ikulong si Imelda!” said Dela Fuente.