Sison, wife receive P2.4M in reparation as ML victims

From Malaya Business Insight (May 23): Sison, wife receive P2.4M in reparation as ML victims

COMMUNIST party founder Jose Maria Sison said he and his wife, Julie, received P1.2 million each from the government in reparation as victims of martial law during the Marcos dictatorship.

Interviewed by ABS-CBN in the Netherlands where he is on a self-exile since the 1980s, Sison said more than the amount, what counts is the Philippine government’s acknowledgement of the human rights abuses.

“The remittance has been made to the bank account of Julie. So we are instant peso millionaires. I think she got P1.2 (million) and I got P1.2 million,” Sison said.

Thousands of martial law victims during the Marcos years started receiving the monetary reparation about two weeks ago. The fund came from the P10 billion Swiss bank deposits recovered from the Marcoses.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Sison and other victims of human rights violation during the martial law years deserve the reparation given them in recognition of the sufferings and human rights violation they suffered.

Roque added the P2.4 million given to Sison and his wife is not connected with efforts to resume peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP).

“It is not related to the peace talks, they are really victims of martial law. And the Palace is happy that the victims have started to receive the checks because the concept of reparation, grant of compensation is important because their rights have been violated during the martial law period,” he said.

Sison and his wife were arrested and tortured during the martial law years. They went on exile in the Netherlands after being released by the administration of President Corazon Aquino.

“On the case of my brother who was killed...he got P1.79 million,” said Sison.

Sison explained why the human rights case against the Marcoses was brought to a US court and not before a Philippine court.

“The human rights case against Marcos in the US is good. It may appear, ‘why go to a foreign country?’ But even the Cory Aquino government could not handle the case so we have to go to the US,” said Sison.

The Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) has started the distribution of checks and compensations to the verified victims, and their heirs, of human rights violations during the martial law period last week. The HRVCB said 11,103 victims had been verified and found eligible for compensation.

The grant of compensation stemmed from Republic Act 10368 titled “An Act Providing For Reparation And Recognition Of Victims Of Human Rights Violations During The Marcos Regime, Documentation Of Said Violations, Appropriating Funds Therefor And For Other Purposes” that was signed by the President Benigno Aquino III on February 25, 2013.

“All along our motive was to put on record, legally and judicially...But whatever is the amount (reparation), the important thing is the Philippines accepted that violations of human rights occurred, recognized...That’s very important,” he said.

On the House of Representatives’ approval of a bill that seeks to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government, Sison said: “I think that’s a bad decision.” The measure seeks to transfer the PCGG’s responsibilities to the Office of the Solicitor General.

Sison noted that not all of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses had been recovered, saying: “What had been recovered from the Marcoses is only a fraction of what they stole.”

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/sison-wife-receive-p24m-reparation-ml-victims