MANILA—The chairman of Aksyon Demokratiko party belied Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian's claim that the Marcos family's estate tax issue was only a "campaign narrative" in the May 9 elections.

Gatchalian on Tuesday told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo that the tax estate liability of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his kin were only brought up by the latter's political opponents during the campaign period.

"It's a political ploy. Political ploy nga 'yung narrative na 'yun e ... Obviously istoryang politika at pang-politika lang ho 'yun. Makikita ho natin lumabas pa 'yan sa mga katunggaling kandidato," said the senator.

Aksyon Demokratiko Ernest Ramel refuted these claims of Gatchalian, an ally of Marcos, stressing that the Marcoses’ estate tax is based on a Supreme Court ruling.

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"I don't know nasaan 'yung headspace ng ating magiting na senador but I'd just like to remind Sen. Gatchalian na meron nang 1997 ruling ang Korte Suprema ukol sa usapin na 'to," Ramel told TeleRadyo on Wednesday.

Ramel was referring to the Supreme Court's affirmation of a Court of Appeals ruling that declared the Marcoses’ estate to have a tax deficiency of P23 billion.

Ramel also noted that George Briones, legal counsel of Marcos Jr.'s political party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, admitted the P23 billion estate tax liability has already been decided.

"Sabi nga niya (Briones), pwede naman i-negotiate 'yan, may conciliation 'yan, pwedeng bawasan 'yan," the Aksyon Demokratiko chairman said.

Ramel said that Marcos Jr.'s vow to fix the country's tax collection system should start with him paying his tax liabilities.

"Sabi niya gusto sana niya ayusin ang tax collection ... sana mauna sila ano, kasi nga nandiyan na 'yan e," the party official said.

Before the May 9 elections, outgoing Manila Mayor Isko Moreno—who was Aksyon Demokratiko's presidential candidate—reminded tax officials and the public that the Marcos family has yet to pay some P203 billion in estate taxes, a figure that it said has ballooned from P23 billion due to penalties and surcharges since 1997.

But one of Marcos' lawyers had said that the Supreme Court only ordered the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to pay P23 billion in taxes, while some P180 billion in penalties and surcharges have yet to be finalized by tax officials.

A Supreme Court ruling also showed that the Marcoses' estate tax assessment of P23 billion became "final and executory" on March 9, 1999.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue, through a written demand, has asked the Marcos family to settle their tax liability.

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Marcos Jr's campaign spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, has claimed that the tax case was still being litigated.

Marcos Jr's sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, earlier said they have no copies of the demand.

She also questioned the timing of the controversy, saying it might be politically motivated.—With a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News