House panel OKs compensation for Marcos-era victims

A committee at the House of Representatives has approved a measure allowing the release of some P10 billion to the victims of human rights violations during the presidency of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. The House committee on human rights passed on Monday a substitute bill providing compensation to Marcos-era victims, with the money culled from the P10 billion acquired by the government from the late strongman’s alleged ill-gotten wealth. “This is not simply about compensation. This is a symbol of retribution from the human rights violations committed towards freedom-loving Filipinos," said Deputy Speaker Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, one of the authors of the bill, in a statement Wednesday. The bill, once signed into law, will provide for the immediate release of 80 percent of the amount for Marcos-era human rights victims who have already secured a favorable judgment from any court. Under the bill, the remaining 20 percent of the amount shall be given to victims whose cases have not been ruled by any court. A Compensation Board shall also be created to determine the amount each beneficiary will receive. Before passing the bill, the committee also shortened the period of application for claims from one year to six months. Last week, a total of $7.5 million was released to the victims after US District Court Judge Manuel Real approved the distribution of the amount as a settlement between the complainants and the corporation that handles the land properties of the Marcoses in the United States. Each claimant received $1,000 (over P43,000) from the amount, which was supposedly part of the Marcos clan’s ill-gotten wealth in the US. The bill, which has yet to be numbered, will now be submitted to the plenary for discussions and another round of voting. If the chamber approves it, it will be submitted to the Senate for consideration. The Senate can either pass its own version of the bill or adopt the bill passed by the House. After this, the bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile the respective versions of the House and Senate. Once the bicameral committee approves the bill, it will be returned to the House and Senate for ratification. It will then be submitted to Malacañang for the signature of the President. - KBK, GMA News