 Manila, Philippines –The wife of late Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, claiming that she has no money, is attempting to reclaim jewels and other items that were seized after the fall of Marcos’ regime in 1986. Because of an oversight by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Mrs. Marcos may get her wish. According to Article 18 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the government would have had to officially claim the jewels as the country’s property. Mrs. Marcos stated in a letter to the PCGG that they never issued any claim or freeze order on the jewelry, as the new Constitution mandates. Altogether, she is looking to regain more than $23.9 million in jewelry alone. This includes, but is not limited to: a Persian-style necklace with more than 100 carats of canary and pink diamonds, tiaras formerly owned by European royalty, and a 93-carat diamond necklace made by Italian designer Gionmoria Buccellati. The jewels were part of three major collections seized at different times after the end of Marcos’ reign. Through a spokesperson, Mrs. Marcos was quick to point out that the bulk of the jewelry was intended to decorate religious icons, “like tiaras for the Blessed Virgin Mary”. So far, the Justice Department has rejected Mrs. Marcos’ request, saying that, because one of the collections is part of pending forfeiture proceedings, there is no way that the PCGG can release any of the jewelry. Although the woman notorious for owning more than 3,000 pairs of shoes claims that she can’t even afford proper health care now, the government is unmoved. They suspect that, in addition to the confiscated jewelry, the Marcos’ had hidden millions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts, owned several private estates, and had secret ownership in several corporations owned by the former dictator’s associates. Mrs. Marcos maintains that none of the wealth they amassed was stolen from the Philippine treasury, and that her husband was rich before she even met him. However, Mrs. Marcos still faces 10 corruption charges based on allegations that she had financial interests in secret foundations and private businesses while she was a member of government from 1978-1984. Critics of the Marcos administration plan to do whatever it takes to block any attempts to return the confiscated jewelry to the former First Lady.
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