Sen. Imee Marcos leaves bro’s Alyansa ticket, cites Duterte arrest
Sen. Imee Marcos —Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Blood is thicker than water—but maybe not in this case.
Sen. Imee Marcos formally withdrew on Wednesday from the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, the administration senatorial slate, confirming longtime signs of her political breakup with her brother, President Marcos, and her alliance with his harshest foes, the Dutertes.
Imee said she arrived at the decision after conducting a Senate hearing last week on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the Philippine National Police at the request of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
READ: Sen. Imee Marcos told: Pick brother or friend
‘Ideals and principles’
According to the senator, the actions taken by her brother’s administration “run counter to my ideals and principles.”
“Thus, I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa,” Imee said in a statement. “As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence.”
Her announcement to leave the administration ticket ended weeks of speculation over her status in Alyansa after she skipped six of their 11 campaign sorties so far.
It also came a few days after the President noticeably failed to mention her name in speeches campaigning for Alyansa in rallies held in the vote-rich provinces of Cavite and Laguna last week.
Alyansa campaign manager and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco said they respected the reelectionist senator’s decision.
“We wish her luck in the campaign,” Tiangco said.
Paramount concerns
According to Imee, there was a “deliberate effort to obscure the truth” about Duterte’s arrest on March 11 after senior government officials invoked executive privilege and the sub judice rule in avoiding critical questions at the Senate hearing.
“Over and above political advantage, the sovereignty of the country and the interest of true justice for every Filipino must remain paramount,” said Imee, the eldest child of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Reacting to the hearing, Malacañang stressed that Duterte’s arrest and handover to ICC custody had basis in Philippine law.
Malacañang press officer Claire Castro cited Republic Act No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, which gives the Philippines the discretion to surrender a suspected or accused persons to an international court if a warrant has been issued.
