BILANG PILIPINO | Marcos faces yet another disqualification case over tax evasion conviction

December 2, 2021 , 12:57 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(December 2, 2021) – Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos Jr. on Thursday faced another hurdle to his political ambitions in the 2022 elections after a progressive organization filed a disqualification case against him due to his tax evasion conviction.

Akbayan wanted to boot the late dictator’s son out of the presidential race by stressing that getting charged for the non-payment of income tax returns perpetually disqualifies him from public office, echoing the arguments of earlier petitioners. The group also argued that the act constitutes moral turpitude.

“(Marcos’) repeated failure, for more than a decade, to file his income tax returns as a public officer was a series of continuing acts done contrary to justice, honesty, modesty, or good morals that manifest baseness, vileness, or depravity,” said Akbayan. “These acts constituted crimes involving moral turpitude.”

Martial Law victims and civil society groups filed the first disqualification case against Marcos last month. Atty. Howard Calleja, who also serves as legal counsel of another set of petitioners, represented them in the case.

Most of the other petitions want to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy over false material representation hinged on his tax evasion conviction. One petition wants to declare him a nuisance candidate by arguing Marcos only wants to run to serve his family’s interests.

The Commission on Elections has been urged to decide on the petitions in the coming days.

In 1995, Marcos was convicted by a Quezon City court for not filing and paying his income taxes from 1982 to 1985. The Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in a 1997 decision but removed the jail time. Marcos intended to appeal before the Supreme Court but he withdrew, making the decision final by 2001.

Akbayan pointed out that Marcos committed the crime while he was Ilocos Norte governor, which should make him ineligible from holding public office, citing the amendments his iron-fisted father introduced to the country’s tax laws.

“He was then the son of the ruling dictator, the same dictator who imposed the penalty of perpetual disqualification for all public officers who dare violate the National Internal Revenue Code of 1977. Perhaps he thought he was an exception to his father’s decrees,” said Akbayan.

Marcos has continued to hold public positions as Ilocos Norte governor from 1998 to 2007, Ilocos Norte second district representative from 2007 to 2010, and senator from 2010 to 2016. But activist groups said this should not be a reason to allow him to join the elections again.

RJ Naguit of Akbayan Youth, one of the petitioners, stressed that the public must challenge Marcos’ bid given these factors, citing his family’s “legacy of plunder and corruption.”

“The Filipino electorate deserves the most qualified candidates, not the perpetually disqualified,” said Naguit. “Removing Bongbong perpetually from our electoral race strengthens our democracy, and makes room for real and qualified candidates.”

(PM)

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