Statement of Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Sandiganbayan ruling on Imelda Marcos
Justice means no one is above the law: Kiko

We welcome the Sandiganbayan decision finding the late dictator's widow Imelda Marcos guilty beyond reasonable doubt of graft, or exploiting her position to steal the people's money and betraying their trust.

The Sandiganbayan conviction is a faithful reminder that the Marcoses have plundered the nation's wealth and have stolen from the people, no matter how much efforts to revise history are done by the Marcos family and their cohorts.

We hope our courts will see this through conviction and give no special treatment to Mrs. Marcos.

We applaud the order for her arrest and her perpetual disqualification from holding public office, especially as she is running for governor of Ilocos Norte.

However, we would like to point out that this case is from at least 34 years ago. This points to how long and therefore frustrating the Philippine judicial system is, and especially in relation to how powerful and powerfully entrenched the accused are.

Ordinary Filipinos pay the price of their mistakes right away, like the jeepney driver who has to pay kotong as soon as he is caught.

Let us ensure that this people's win of justice becomes a reality. Let us work for a judicial system where no one is above the law.