Marcos Jr. vows to return to RP

Marcos Jr. vows to return to RP

MANILA (AFP): The son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos said in a statement issued here yesterday that his conviction for tax evasion was "pure harassment" and vowed to return to the Philippines this week to appeal the decision.

On Monday a local court ordered Ferdinand Marcos Junior to nine years' jail for failing to make income tax returns and pay about 8,500 pesos (US$333) in taxes over four years from 1982- 1985 when he served as governor of his home province of Ilocos Norte.

The court earlier said Marcos, popularly known locally as 'Bongbong,' was sentenced to seven years in jail but later corrected this.

Marcos, who is reportedly in Europe, will "cut short his business trip abroad and is scheduled to return on Wednesday to appeal the decision himself, " the statement said.