Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
IN a recent episode of "Kapihan sa Manila Bay," Marichu Villanueva had as her guests the chief justice and some associate justices of the Supreme Court. Someone in the audience asked the chief justice about the Marcos tax cases and the chief justice responded. There was nothing either ground-moving nor dramatic about the response — but different news outlets picked up some lines and made it appear that the chief justice was inclined toward the expressed preference of President Bongbong Marcos to reopen the cases that found his family liable to the payment of taxes that have, because of interest charges, ballooned to over P200 hundred billion. In fact, PTV bore the newsline: "Chief Justice Gesmundo says Marcos estate tax can be reopened if the President wishes so." I listened to the whole Kapihan episode and heard nothing remotely supporting this reported statement of the chief justice.
A Facebook friend sent me through Messenger what sounded like a cry of exasperation: "What is this about SCCJ Gesmundo saying that any case may be 'reopened'? I can't believe that statement. When it was just explained the other day that it will require 'another' case to deal with that Marcos. Now, he says it can be done. Now everybody will be confused. And like what was said, the 'integrity' of the country will be in question. How are the foreign investments now? Sorry, really can't believe it. It's annoyingly confusing. Please help my confusion."
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