HAWAII CASE | Ahead of U.S. visit, martial law survivor’s kin slams Marcos for ignoring Hawaii suit

September 13, 2022 , 07:58 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(September 13, 2022) – A son of a survivor of Ferdinand Marcos’ brutal martial law regime on Tuesday called out his son and namesake for ignoring the class action suit against the late dictator and his family.

President Bongbong Marcos Jr. and his mother have been refusing to appear in a Hawaii court where thousands of human rights victims had won and were awarded remuneration from the estate of the late dictator.

Marcos Jr is traveling to New York next week to deliver a speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly. He has been assured by U.S. authorities that he will not be arrested because he has a standing warrant for contempt for ignoring the Hawaii court.

Ron de Vera, son of Adora Faye de Vera, called Marcos’ visit to New York as an “insult” to victims of human rights violations under his father’s two decade-long dictatorship.

“Despite the intense trauma they experienced, my mother and thousands of other victims chose to seek the accountability of the Marcoses in the US courts, while Marcos Jr. and his family willfully undermined their efforts to seek justice,” de Vera told reporters.

Adora Faye de Vera, who was arrested last month over accusations of murder and rebellion, is one of the 9,539 named plaintiffs led by Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) in a class action suit filed in 1986 after former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his family went on exile in Hawaii.

The court ruled in favor of the human rigthts violation victims, ordering the Marcos family to pay $2 billion in damages. But Philippine courts have denied the petition to enforce the ruling, citing a lack of jurisdiction on part of the Hawaii court.

The same court also cited Marcos Jr. for contempt in 2011 for violating a prohibition against selling any of their properties in the U.S. related to the lawsuit.

Based on records from non-profit organization Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, De Vera was arrested twice during the Marcos dictatorship. Martial Law Files also recounted that she was raped and tortured by soldiers in detention.

Bonifacio Ilagan, former SELDA vice chairperson and current convenor of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), said the Hawaii district court should compel Marcos Jr. to pay his fines when he visits the U.S.

“We enjoin the Court to exhaust all remedies at its disposal to enforce the judgment for the sake of the victims and their families many of whom remain poor, old and now suffering from various ailments,” Ilagan said.

Marcos is set to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 20, where he plans to discuss the country’s vision for the UN.

Despite the contempt order, U.S Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has said that the president won’t be arrested even if he steps into U.S. soil because of diplomatic immunity.

(MM)

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