During his two-decade rule that started in 1965, former President Ferdinand Marcos managed to illegally amass an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion from government coffers. His family stashed them away in secret local and offshore accounts, or hid them through dummy foundations as well as cronies.
Following the strongman's ouster in 1986, the government—through the Presidential Commission on Good Government created the same year—went to great lengths to recover these stolen wealth, even engaging in arduous and court battles here and abroad that dragged on for years.
Three decades later, the PCGG got back a considerable chunk of the illegally acquired assets and properties, and even managed to earn revenue for the government.
Below is a timeline of significant milestones in the quest to recover the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth.