All 60 pieces of Marcos jewelry in the possession of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will be auctioned off, along with those in the custody of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). This includes the collection that alleged Marcos associate Demetriou Roumeliotes had tried to smuggle out of the country back in 1986.
Belle Maestro, BOC chief Alberto Lina said, “The auction date has yet to be determined… hopefully by next month.”
“The PCGG has given a ‘conservative estimate’ of PHP1 billion for the three jewelry collections: the Roumeliotes, Hawaiian, and Malacañang collections,” reports Evelyn Macairan in The Philippine Star.
The PCGG could not disclose the value of each collection because this might affect the bidding prices. But among the three collections, the Roumeliotes items are considered the most expensive.
Maestro added, “The BOC and PCGG are currently establishing a panel that will oversee the auction process and the selection of an auction house.”
The report noted: “Revenue from the auction would lower the BOC’s collection deficit.”
