"Huwag mong itago sa mabulaklakin mong Ingles ang katotohanan: Duwag kayo at sinungaling."
This was the response of the Aksyon Demokratiko party on Saturday, March, 12, to the recent statement of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s spokesman Atty. Vic Rodriguez, accusing the party of engaging in "negative and hateful campaigning" for exposing the alleged P203-billion tax liabilities of the Marcos heirs.
"The penchant for issuing reckless statement by Aksyon Demokratiko on the pretext of knowing the factual antecedents of the matter and having in their possession document or at the very least, a supporting paper to back their claim, when there is none should be abhorred," Rodriguez said in a Facebook post on Friday, March 11.
In response, Aksyon Demokratiko Chairman Ernest Ramel said: "Ang kasuklam-suklam po Atty. Rodriguez ay kawalang galang po ng inyong kliyente na si Marcos Jr sa pagsunod sa kautusan ng Korte Suprema sa pagbabayad ng takdang buwis na matagal ng ipinataw sa kanya at kanyang pamilya (What is disgusting Atty. Rodriguez is the disrespect of your client Marcos Jr. in following the order of the Supreme Court to pay the fixed tax that has long been imposed on him and his family)."
Ramel pointed out that the use of power and wealth to avoid obligation was "more negative and full of hatred as opposed to your platform of solidarity."
The Aksyon Demkratiko party had earlier written a letter to the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to seek clarification on the issue of P203 billion tax liabilities of the Marcoses.
"Hindi 'nyo po ba naiintindihan na kaya kami lumiham sa BIR at PCGG ay para mabigyang patunay ang sinasabi mo mismo na umano'y may kasunduan na ang dalawang ahensya na hintayin maresolba ang mga sinasabi mong nasa usapin pa ng korte na hinahabol ng pamahalaan mula sa iyong kliyenteng si Marcos Jr? (Don't you understand that we wrote to the BIR and PCGG to prove what you are saying that there is an agreement between the two agencies that it will wait for the resolution of the issues you claim that are still in court cases that the government is seeking from your client Marcos Jr?)," he said.
"Ang malinaw lang at hindi na naman kailangang pang hawak na dokumento pa dahil ito ay public record na ay ang pinal na hatol ng Korte Suprema noon pang 1997 sa usapin ng estate tax ng mga Marcos (The only thing that is clear and does not need to be a document because it is a public record is the final judgment of the Supreme Court since 1997 in the matter of the Marcoses' estate tax)," the party chairman added.