Reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos admitted on Sunday that she is uncertain whether she remains part of the senatorial slate endorsed by her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., for the upcoming May midterm elections.
In an ambush interview, Senator Marcos said she has yet to clarify her status with Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, a day after her brother skipped her name while endorsing the coalition’s candidates during a campaign rally in the vote-rich province of Laguna.
“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 Alyansa’s 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 her sister’s name, as he also did it during Friday’s coalition rally in Laguna, another vote-rich province in CALABARZON.
Senator Marcos also admitted that Navotas Lone District Representative Toby Tiangco, the campaign manager of Alyansa, has yet to reach out to her following the omission of her name during the administration ticket’s rallies.
“No, there was no news from Toby,” she said.
Tiangco previously denied rumors of the ticket dropping the presidential sister.
Asked whether she would no longer join the coalition’s future sorties, Senator Marcos, however, said she was not sure, citing that she would take her time reviewing international laws.
“Studying international law is difficult since we’re not entirely familiar with it. The ICC, Interpol, issues related to RA 9851, expatriation law, and various other legal matters—these are all things we are still learning about. This is new to all of us because their system is different from ours,” she said.
“But the most important thing is that we must never surrender our country or our sovereignty to any large or powerful court. What matters is that Filipinos should be tried in our own country, in our own courts,” she added.
Senator Marcos openly criticized the arrest of the former president, who is now in The Hague, Netherlands, to face his crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court.
During Thursday’s public 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.
Vice President Sara Duterte, who attended the briefing remotely via video link from The Hague, claimed that the arrest of her father was a “demolition job” by the administration.
“A Filipino citizen, a former president, was taken into custody without a valid warrant issued by a Philippine court, without due process, and without any legal basis under our laws,” the vice president said.
Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on 11 March 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.
President Marcos has previously rejected allegations of irregularity in Duterte’s arrest, asserting that it was carried out in compliance with the Philippines' obligations to Interpol.