Sen. Imee Marcos Issues Statement on Leaving the Alyansa
IMEE MARCOS – The Senator announced that she officially quits the Alyansa Para Sa Pagbabago citing mismatch ideals and principles with the administration.
The arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte undeniably caused a huge faction not only in the government but also among the Filipinos. The controversial arrest of the former Chief Executive is surrounded by a lot of questions including the presence or absence of due process in the arrest.
Duterte was arrested last March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon his arrival from Hong Kong. The arrest was implemented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the former President was detained at the Villamor Air Base for several hours before he was flown to The Hague, Netherlands via Dubai.
Sen. Imee Marcos skipped the election campaign rally of the Alyansa following the arrest of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. According to the Senator, she was shocked by the turn of events and could not accept what was done to former Pres. Duterte.
The Alyansa Para Sa Pagbabago is a grand alliance led by Pres. Bongbong Marcos. It has held several campaign sorties attended by Sen. Marcos prior to the arrest of the former President.
However, following the arrest of former Pres. Duterte, Sen. Marcos led a Senate committee inquiry on the arrest of the former President. According to Sen. Marcos, it seemed like Duterte has no country of his own when the government surrendered him to the International Criminal Court.
The Senator then claimed that she and Pres. Marcos have yet to talk about the arrest of Duterte. Marcos believes that there was no due process in Duterte’s arrest. The Senator also skipped the Alyansa campaign rally in Cavite.
Amid the political turmoil, Sen. Imee Marcos announced that she is officially quitting the Alyansa senatorial slate. Based on a report on GMA News, the Senator claimed that the actions of the administration counter her ideals and principles.
“[C]learly there were actions taken by the administration which run counter to my ideals and principles. Thus, I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa. As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence,” Marcos said.
Based on the report, Sen. Imee Marcos stressed that the “the sovereignty of the country and the interest of true justice for every Filipino” is above politics. She also claimed that the government witnesses during the Senate committee hearing seem to be hiding essential facts when they invoked their executive privilege several times.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is sad over Pres. Bongbong Marcos not mentioning his sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, at an Alyansa campaign rally. However, according to her, the decision of the PDP-Laban on whether they can adopt Sen. Marcos in their slate does not depend on her.