Some civic leaders have canceled the certificate of candidacy (COC) of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. because he allegedly lied that he was qualified to run even though he had previously been convicted of tax evasion.
What Marcos did could be considered a false material representation or lying about something important.
According to the group, as early as 1995, Bongbong Marcos was convicted of tax evasion in a trial court for failing to file income tax returns and paying taxes from 1982 to 1985.
The decision not to file the ITR was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 1997, but only a fine was imposed.
Marcos appealed the case to the Supreme Court but withdrew it, so the verdict became final in 2001.
Under the tax code, when a government official is convicted of violating its provisions, there is an associated lifelong disqualification from holding a government position.
Bongbong Marcos was the Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte from 1981 to 1983, while he was the governor from 1983 until his father, dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was ousted from office in 1986.
“What we have, in essence, is the practice of selective justice. It’s the practice of double standard, why the son of a late president, his namesake, is being allowed to run although he has been convicted of violating laws, particularly the national internal revenue code,” said Brother spokesperson Fides Lim, one of the petitioners.
Civic leaders want Bongbong Marcos disqualified for 2022 race
According to the petitioners, even under the Omnibus Election Code, Marcos is also disqualified because the penalty for not filing an ITR must include more than 18 months imprisonment.
This is even though it was just a fine, and Marcos was not sentenced by the CA.
He also said that the Bongbong Marcoses’ repeated failure to file the ITR and non-payment of the estate tax, which is now worth P203 billion since his father’s death, can also be considered crimes of moral turpitude.
For the petitioners, it is vital to charge the Marcoses.
“Hindi pa nagsasauli nung kanilang ninakaw na yaman ang mga Marcoses. Wala pang apology doon sa ginawa nilang massive human rights violations at damage to our economy, at siyempre paglubog sa atin ng mabigat na utang,” said Ellecer Carlos, secretary general of Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.