It was a warm spring morning 36 years ago when millions of people swarmed the streets of Manila, demanding the ouster of a kleptocratic president from power. Subsequently, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. fled the Philippines with 24 gold bricks, luxury clothes enough to fill 67 racks and gems hidden in diaper boxes — merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of his ill-gotten wealth.
The Filipino Supreme Court later released an estimate that shocked the world: Marcos and his immediate family siphoned nearly $10 billion from the people. The brazen corruption included an airline he seized after it billed his wife, not to mention myriad Swiss bank accounts and Panamanian shell companies. Meanwhile, during Marcos’ rule, 6 out of 10 families lived in abject poverty.
It is the duty of every responsible government in the world to combat corruption. Yet, efforts aimed to recover Marco’s unscrupulous wealth are now threatened by the incoming Filipino president: Marcos Jr., the kleptocrat’s own son.
