President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday pushed back against the characterization of some of his family's assets as ill-gotten wealth but declined to provide details on whether estate taxes and penalties involving the assets had been settled.

During the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines Presidential Luncheon, Marcos was asked about assets his family retained after winning civil forfeiture cases and whether corresponding estate taxes and penalties had been paid.

“The reason we won civil cases is because they were proven to be not ill-gotten wealth,” Marcos said.

He objected to describing the assets as ill-gotten, saying in Filipino that his family prevailed in the cases because they had proven otherwise. 

Marcos, however, said he could not provide details on the estate tax issue and acknowledged neglecting some of his responsibilities as co-executor of the estate of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“I have to admit that I have neglected some of my duties as co-executor because I've been very busy with all the things that a president is busy with,” Marcos said.

He said matters of state took precedence over the family's legal affairs.

“The matters of state and governance are a thousand times more important than any family matter. In fact, I would say 113 million times more important than any family matter,” he said.

Marcos said he had left the issue to his lawyers and his mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos, whom he identified as the other co-executor.

“I hear about it in passing. But I don't really sit in on meetings and I don't really concern myself with that so much,” he said. 

‘I don't know these details’

Marcos was also pressed about the Arelma assets, which have been the subject of litigation involving the Marcos family and the Philippine government.

Asked to identify the lawyer handling the matter and allow journalists to speak with the lawyer, Marcos agreed.

“I was going to thank you for all the information that you have provided us here today because I don't know these details,” Marcos said.

He said he had not been involved in the legal proceedings even when his family was in exile in the United States.

“Even when we were in the States, in exile, even when we were in the States, I was not involved in any of these legal proceedings,” he said.

“Those cases again, I don't know what happened to them anymore, quite frankly,” Marcos added.

The President agreed to have his legal representatives' contact information provided after the luncheon.