In fairness to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM), despite whatever was going on behind the scenes in the political maneuverings arising from the Marcos-Duterte rivalry, he continued to show respect and deference to his Manang, Senator Imee Marcos, in public. He even insisted on her inclusion in the administration slate — a move that Senator Imee callously brushed aside by insisting she was running as an independent. Even if she did not show up in rallies of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, PBBM went out of his way to personally campaign for her.

However, things took a turn for the worse when the Marcos administration made possible the arrest and rendition of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) to The Hague.

Manang Imee immediately came out with a strong statement condemning the move and even called for Senate hearings on the arrest of FPRRD. As if it could not get any worse for Manang Imee, who had been suffering a beating in the surveys, she has now been ousted from the Magic 12 of the surveys (although within the range of those who still have a chance at making it).

But PBBM has had enough. He no longer campaigns for his Manang Imee in the succeeding sorties of the Alyansa slate. Senator Imee, for her part, has also categorically withdrawn from the administration slate, citing inconsistent ideals and principles—something she should’ve done early on. Maybe if she had done this earlier, she would not have suffered the ire and resentment of the Duterte supporters for playing it safe and straddling the middle line in the ongoing political feud. She wanted to have her cake and eat it, too. At least now, she can hope that it’s not too late to turn the tide in her favor, because if she does not win a Senate seat, her relevance and political capital will be severely diminished — even in their baluarte in the north.

With Vice President Sara Duterte’s return from The Hague, she officially endorsed Imee for senator. They launched their controversial “ITIM” political ad (allegedly a brainchild of VP Sara). Manang Imee explains the color black symbolizes how the country is in mourning due to hardship and hunger. They claim that the Filipino people are hungry for sustenance and hungry for justice. ITIM is also apparently an acronym for “I Trust Imee Marcos,” and epitomizes their shared ideals to “Ipaglaban ang Tama, I-tama ang Mali.”

It is safe to say that Manang Imee has put the final nail in the coffin. I do not think there is any going back for the siblings after this. Though, at times, Manang Imee seems to vacillate from her position by insinuating that the only reason PBBM’s administration has ushered in the dark times is because of all the “evil” that surrounds him. As to who among those around the President is or are evil, she may have insinuated but never really named.

Many Duterte supporters will not accept Manang Imee back into their fold. Perhaps they will never forgive her for her role in forging the UniTeam. But VP Sara needs to put more allies in the Senate to vote for her acquittal during the impeachment trial. And Manang Imee will need VP Sara’s supporters’ votes to get back into the Senate. So, really, it’s a “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” situation here.