Imee being pushed into a fight with ‘Tambaloslos’

Senator Imee Marcos on Thursday said she is open to the possibility of becoming Senate president, a role considered crucial in shaping legislative priorities as well as impeachment proceedings.

legislative priorities as well as impeachment proceedings.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado forum, Marcos was asked if she would consider replacing Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who had earlier expressed an intent to continue leading the chamber in the upcoming 20th Congress.

“I think every senator will rise to the challenge,” Marcos told reporters.

The elder sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had previously revealed that some of her colleagues had been urging her to oust Escudero.

She made the remark just weeks after the 12 May elections where she secured a fresh six-year term in the Senate with the backing of Vice President Sara Duterte, who has a pending impeachment case in the Senate.

Without naming names, Marcos said someone had casually suggested that she consider running for the Senate presidency.

“Someone just asked me if I could be the one to run instead. I think they just want me to go head-to-head with ‘Tambaloslos,’” she said, referring to a mythical figure in Visayan folklore.

The term “Tambaloslos” was first used in the context of a political discourse in 2023, when the Vice President posted a photo of herself on social media with a cryptic caption: “Sa imong ambisyon, do not be a ‘Tambaloslos.’”

Last year, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, a close Duterte ally, also used the term — this time to refer to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom he accused of harboring ambitions to run for president in 2028.

The newly elected senators — those who made it to the so-called “Magic 12” in the May elections — will begin their official duties in July, following the opening of the 20th Congress.

Should Marcos decide to run, she could face a three-way race with Senator-elect Vicente “Tito” Sotto, who is reportedly being wooed to challenge Escudero, and Escudero himself, who has held the post since May last year.

Sotto has publicly expressed an interest in heading the upper chamber again, a position he held during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Without divulging the identities of those urging him to replace Escudero, Sotto said at least three to four senators were convincing him to run.

Escudero, for his part, had said he would let the majority decide whether he should stay in the post.

To unseat Escudero, who has served as Senate president since May of last year, his challenger would need to secure at least 13 votes from fellow senators.

The Senate presidency is crucial amid the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, whether or not it will carry over into the 20th Congress from the outgoing 19th Congress.