Senator Imee Marcos on Saturday thanked her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., for including her in the administration’s Senate slate. However, she announced her bid for reelection as an independent candidate.

In a statement, Marcos expressed her sincere gratitude to the President for standing behind her “despite the anger and cruelty of some.”

“He defended me, and even included me in the alliance,” she said.

Citing what her father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., had passed onto her as “his eldest,” Imee said she chose to stand free and strong — believing that “there should be no allegiance other than siding with the Filipinos.”

Solo not easy

“It is not easy to stand alone during campaigns and in politics. But that’s what the old man left to me. That is the legacy of Apo Lakay whom we remember today,” she added.

Marcos said she would rather stand alone to make sure her kid “brother will not be harmed.”

She thanked the Nacionalista Party, but noted that she chose to “remain free and loyal not to any group, but to the Filipinos.”

“Carrying my achievements for the people during my past terms, the laws that I offered to the people, and the truth that I have not deviated from on the path and principles of my father, I will serve the people without bias,” she said.

Marcos stressed that her priorities are the welfare of Filipinos as she asked for continued understanding and love from the public.