Alyansa respects Sen. Marcos’ choice not to attend sorties – Tiangco
Sen. Imee Marcos — Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — The Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas respects Sen. Imee Marcos’ choice to refrain from attending their sorties due to her not being comfortable, campaign manager and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Tiangco also said the Marcos administration-backed alliance would still campaign for all their candidates and would inform voters that they have the necessary experience to improve people’s lives.
“In many public statements, Senator Imee herself said that she was uncomfortable to attend Alyansa’s campaign sorties,” Tiangco told reporters in a message after being asked about her absence for the last three sorties.
“We respect that choice and Alyansa will continue to inform voters that our senatorial candidates are capable with proven track record and experience, and they are here to help them improve their lives by supporting the flagship projects of the administration,” he added.
Tiangco also clarified that the Nacionalista Party is still part of the five-party team that forms the Alyansa.
“Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar was present in an Alyansa meeting last night,” he added.
Last March 14, Sen. Marcos apologized to people from their maternal hometown Leyte for her absence, saying that she would not join Alyansa’s rally in Tacloban City as she cannot accept what happened to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: Imee Marcos skips admin sortie: ‘I can’t accept what was done to Duterte’
Duterte, whom Sen. Marcos considers a close ally and a friend, was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last March 11 after local authorities helped the International Criminal Police Organization in enforcing the arrest order.
The former president was barred from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after coming home from Hong Kong, and was instead brought to the Villamor Air Base. After several hours, Duterte boarded a chartered plane that took him to The Hague, in The Netherlands, where the ICC is based.
The ICC’s arrest order was issued due to the crimes against humanity raps filed against Duterte for his role in his administration’s drug war.
Notably absent during the Tacloban sortie were Villar and Senator Pia Cayetano who, like Marcos, are members of the Nacionalista Party.
Cayetano attended the Cavite sortie last March 21, but Villar was absent.
At the Tacloban rally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still appeared to endorse his sister, Sen. Marcos, saying that if only the latter was present, she would have spoken to attendees in the Waray dialect.
But at the sortie in Cavite, President Marcos did not mention his sister in introducing Alyansa’s candidates. This incident happened again the next day, during the sortie in Laguna.
READ: Marcos again skips mention of sis Imee in Alyansa sortie
There are five political parties forming the Alyansa: Nacionalista Party, President Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, Nationalist People’s Coalition, National Unity Party, and Lakas-CMD.
Aside from Senator Marcos, Villar, and Cayetano, the following candidates are running under the Alyansa banner:
- former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos
- Makati City Mayor Abby Binay
- Senator Lito Lapid
- former Senator Panfilo Lacson
- former Senator Manny Pacquiao
- Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
- former Senate President Vicente Sotto III
- Senator Francis Tolentino
- ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo
