EDSA People Power ends Marcos rule; plunder recovery cases begin

Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. departed Malacañang Palace on the evening of February 25, 1986, following four days of the EDSA People Power uprising that converged civilian protesters, defecting military units, and the influence of Catholic Church leadership against his administration. Within days of taking office, President Corazon C. Aquino issued Executive Order No. 1 (February 28, 1986) creating the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). The PCGG's standing mandate was the recovery of ill-gotten wealth amassed by Marcos Sr., his immediate family, his close relatives, subordinates, and business associates. The recovery effort spanned decades and multiple jurisdictions. Swiss Federal Tribunal rulings released assets to the Philippines beginning in 1997. Sandiganbayan forfeiture cases against the Marcos estate continue to this day, as do related civil and criminal proceedings against named cronies. The PCGG's existence and methodology established the template later echoed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council in contemporary plunder investigations: trace, freeze, and forfeit.