Philippine Presidential Candidate Vows to Jail First Lady Once Elected

Philippine Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody De Guzman vowed, on Friday, that he would put former first lady Imelda Marcos in jail if he wins the election.

In an interview with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), De Guzman questioned why Marcos is still free despite the conviction at the anti-graft court.

De Guzman claimed that her old age may be a factor.

"I don’t have it memorized but we’ll check if she’s not part of those exempted from imprisonment due to age but even just for three days she should be jailed," De Guzman said. "So we can ease the ill feelings of those who lost their livelihoods."

In 2018, Marcos was found guilty in seven graft cases over the persion of more than $352 million in public funds to private foundations in Switzerland.

During her husband’s martial rule, the former first lady used her position as then Metro Manila governor and human settlements minister to set up these foundations.

Hence, De Guzman affirmed that, if he wins the election, he will review the composition of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the agency handling the recovery of Marcos' ill-gotten wealth.

“I have doubts on the compromises, the way they ran after the Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth,” the Philippine Presidential candidate said.