Philippine group seeks to bar Marcos Jr from presidential race

MANILA • A group opposing the candidacy of the son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos for next year's presidential race asked the election commission to bar him from running because he has been convicted for tax evasion.

Called the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, the group filed a petition yesterday for the disqualification of Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr after he emerged as the front runner for the May election.

Former congressman Satur Ocampo, one of the group's convenors, said the petition, like one filed by another group, is grounded on Mr Marcos Jr's conviction for tax evasion over two decades ago.

"Public officials who violate the internal revenue code are perpetually disqualified from holding any public office and participating in an election," Mr Ocampo, who fought the Marcos dictatorship, said, citing an article of the code.

The late dictator ruled the Philippines for almost two decades until his 1986 overthrow in the "people power" revolution. He died in exile in 1989.

His wife and children have denied allegations that billions of dollars of state wealth were plundered while Marcos was in power, estimated in 1987 to be worth US$10 billion.

A trial court convicted Mr Marcos Jr of tax evasion in 1995 for failing to file his income tax returns from 1982 to 1985. The conviction was upheld by an appeals court in 1997.

However, Mr Marcos Jr has been elected governor, congressman, and in 2010, as a senator.

Although he ran for public office previously despite the conviction, Mr Ocampo said "this does not mean it can't be raised anymore".

The poll body has scheduled a preliminary conference for Nov 26 on the earlier disqualification complaint filed by a group representing political detainees, human rights and medical organisations against Mr Marcos Jr.

Mr Marcos Jr, 64, has said that the petition "is without merit and has no legal basis".

He announced on Tuesday that Ms Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, had agreed to be his vice-presidential running mate, confirming weeks of speculation of an alliance between the two powerful families.

REUTERS