Malacanang said on Monday if the family of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos would block the sale of jewelry collections being kept at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Duterte administration would oppose it.

President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier given his go-signal for the government to auction the three sets of jewelry collections confiscated after Marcos' downfall in 1986.

"If they do, then we will oppose it," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing when asked if it would be objectionable to the Palace if the Marcoses would block the auction of Malacanan Collection, Roumeliotes Collection, and Hawaii Collection, which are estimated to cost over P700 million.

He reiterated that Duterte wants the proceeds from the sale of the Marcos jewelry collections to the Filipino people "who are in urgent need of government aid."

With Duterte's order to auction the pieces of jewelry, Panelo, also the chief presidential legal counsel, said these are considered as ill-gotten.

"Well, as far as we are concerned, these properties have been declared to be ill-gotten, that’s why precisely it is to be sold. If that was the court decision then we have to abide by it," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS