The distribution provides victims their first opportunity to collect something since they sued in 1986.
Each of the 7,526 eligible members of the class-action lawsuit will receive $1,000 under the plan approved by US District Judge Manuel Real. Distribution is expected to begin in mid-February and take about a month.
Robert Swift, the lead attorney in the case, said the payments were an important milestone for victims who have been fighting for years. Most of the victims or their surviving family members live in the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines—The settlement may amount to “loose change,” but the $7.5-million pay-out for human rights abuse victims (or $1,000 for each victim) during martial law is an affirmation of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth, a human-rights victim and former lawmaker said on Friday.
Satur Ocampo, a former representative of the party-list group Bayan Muna, said the settlement for Marcos-acquired land in the American states of Texas and Colorado was a welcome development in the 25-year fight of victims of abuses during the Marcos regime.
Distribution is expected to begin in mid-February and take about a month. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110115-314510/1000-for-Marcos-victims
“We know they are anxious for distribution. Most of our members are poor, very poor, and live in a Third World country that hasn’t compensated them for any injuries they suffered, or loss of loved ones,” Swift said during a hearing at a federal court in Honolulu.
The funds come from a $10 million settlement of a case against individuals controlling Texas and Colorado land bought with Marcos money. Legal fees and a payment to the person who located the properties will consume most of the remaining $2.5 million of the settlement.
The victims’ payments will go a short way toward fulfilling a $2 billion judgment against the Marcos estate in 1995. A federal jury awarded the money after finding the late dictator liable for torture, summary executions and disappearances of political opponents during his 20-year rule.
The victims never received any funds until now, however, because of disputes over Marcos’ property. The Philippine government maintains all Marcos property was stolen from the Filipino people and has fought any distribution to victims of human rights violations.
This latest case was an exception, however, because Manila had already settled its own claim against the people who control the land in Colorado and Texas.
Swift hopes the victims will receive more money, noting his team is still pursuing $70 million in Marcos assets through courts in New York and Singapore.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in Hawaii because Marcos fled to Honolulu to live in exile after he was deposed in the “people power” revolution of 1986.
Marcos died in exile in 1989 without admitting any wrongdoing. — AP
A couple of decades na hintayan tapos $1000.00 lang ang bawat isa. Peanuts lang ang $7.5M sa bulsa ng Marcos, it won’t even make a dent. Sabihin na lang natin na wala namang presyo ang pakikipaglaban sa kalayaan.
Habulin na si Mike at Gloria Arroyo, now na!
Nice… one dollar for every year 🙁
Ang mahalaga sa lahat ay nagdesisyon ng mabayaran ang mga biktima. Umaasa ako na lahat ng biktima ay makakatanggap talaga ng pera.
Is this the usual justice story?
recompense, restoration, etc come in trickle, like that economic theory claiming the trickle down effect.
claiming the trickle down effect which does not really happen.
Indeed there must be a way to recompense those whose human rights were truly violated. Now the difficult task: how to determine whose claims were legitimate or not. Can we see the names, please?
I worry about the Morong 43 types, students/professors/farmers/medical missionaries by day, combatants by night, who comes trained to shout “my human rights were violated” when cornered, combat sleepers waiting to collect then deposit to an account owned and managed by the armed movement.
That amount (p40k plus) is an insult to those who waited all these years to be compensated.
I worry about the Morong 43 types, students/professors/farmers/medical missionaries by day, combatants by night, who comes trained to shout “my human rights were violated” when cornered, combat sleepers waiting to collect then deposit to an account owned and managed by the armed movement.
– ricelander
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I’m pretty sure the Morong 43 were caught red handed in a combat operation, unfortunately the soldiers were not aware of police procedures when they “arrested” these people. So they get out because of technicalities and the poor officers leading the operation will get sanctioned for doing their job. Its really very sad, and very demoralizing, but it is the law.
It would have been different if they just shot everybody and declared everything as shootout in a combat zone or just made the whole 43 disappear without a trace no one will be the wiser and we have less NPAs to deal with. But our government is trying to turn over a new leaf, turning other cheek, hopefully the other side will respond responsibly by realizing that they actually don’t have any legitimate cause already and they are behaving like common bandits and terrorists. China is not exporting their brand of communism anymore as they are operating more like capitalists nowadays. Who’s left, Russia? Or just a rag tag bandit group posing themselves as revolutionaries but not knowing exactly what they are fighting against?
We have done away with the Palparans, are following the law, now its their turn.
pumayag ang representing lawyer ng mga victims sa settlement ng walang consultation sa biktima, ayon kay Satur Ocampo sa interview nya kay Karen Davila at tinanong din siya kung puedeng habulin ang maling desisyon ni Atty Swift, but no direct answered. Tinanong din siya kung dapat bang habulin ang ibang member ng Marcoses, katulad ng una walang lumabas sa bibig ni Mr. Ocampo. Sumagot naman ang kasama nyang pari sa interview at sinabi niya dapat habulin si Imelda ang ibang pamilya. What happen to Satur? Cant question the marcoses now, just because there are in the same political party with Bongbong Marcos. Good times.