Sen. Chiz distances self from Marcos' rift

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero has refused to comment on the rumored rift between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Senator Imee Marcos.

In a press briefing on Monday, Escudero said he would rather leave the matter for the siblings to fix whatever problems they are dealing with at the moment.

“My grandfather taught me never to meddle in family disputes because, in the end, they might reconcile, and you’ll end up being the enemy of both. I won’t attempt to find an explanation, reason, or logic behind what has happened in the past two weeks,” he said.

“At the end of the day, they are family, they are siblings, and whatever misunderstanding they have can be easily resolved, whether in a short or long period of time,” he added.

The Senate chief noted that in politics, it is not unusual for family members to have differences, especially with elections approaching.

Speculation about a rift between the Marcos siblings intensified after President Marcos, during campaign sorties last week, failed to mention his sister’s name while endorsing his senatorial slate.

On Sunday, Senator Marcos admitted that she is uncertain whether she remains part of the senatorial slate endorsed by her brother.

“I don’t know, I don’t know. I haven’t asked yet, and we don’t really talk. Honestly, it’s okay because I am focused on the case and the hearing and what would be our findings,” she said in Filipino when asked about whether she is still part of the administration-backed senatorial slate.

“I’m focused on that because our country’s sovereignty is at stake. That seems more important and nerve-wracking than elections, campaigns, and politics,” she added.

Senator Marcos was referring to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ hearing into the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on 11 March, which she presided over last Thursday.

During administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ rally in Laguna on Saturday, President Marcos notably left out his sister’s name while calling for public support for the coalition’s slate. This omission has reignited speculation about a long-rumored rift between the siblings.

“Let us unite in our alliance. We should not be just an alliance of these 10, 11 candidates who are running for senator under the Alyansa slate. Join us in our alliance and let us work together in improving the lives of every Filipino,” President Marcos said.

It was not the first time President Marcos failed to mention his sister’s name, as he also did it during Friday’s coalition sortie in Laguna, another vote-rich province in Calabarzon.

Senator Marcos openly criticized her brother’s administration for arresting Duterte, who is now in The Hague, Netherlands to face his crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court.

During Thursday’s public hearing, she pressed her brother’s Cabinet officials for surrendering the former chief executive to a “foreign” court, noting that it was an insult to the country’s sovereignty.

In the hearing, government officials offered conflicting statements on the arrest of Duterte, which his family and supporters described as kidnapping and part of a political persecution.

Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11 upon his return from Hong Kong, where he attended a Kingdom of Jesus Christ event with overseas Filipino workers.

On the same day, he was flown to The Hague, where the ICC is based, to face charges of murder linked to his anti-illegal drugs crackdown in the Philippines between 1 November 2011, and 16 March 2019.