Sen. Imee Marcos Chides PBBM’s Remarks vs. Martin Romualdez during SONA
IMEE MARCOS – The Senator chided the statement of her brother, President Bongbong Marcos, against their cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Several senators in the minority bloc skipped Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ 5th State of the Nation Address or SONA. It was held on Monday, July 27, and the President covered several key national issues in his speech for the 5th national address.
Marcos Jr. was seated with Senate Pres. Sherwin Gatchalian and House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III in the rostrum during his 5th SONA at Batasang Pambansa. Here are some of the issues mentioned in the speech of the Chief Executive:
- Anti-corruption efforts and flood control investigation
- Government reforms and transparency
- Response to Middle East conflict and energy crisis
- Economic relief and support programs
- Transportation assistance
- Infrastructure and disaster preparedness
- Agriculture and food security
- Energy security
- Employment, social protection, and housing
- Education and skills development
- Healthcare improvements
- Foreign relations and economic growth
- National security and territorial rights
One of the senators who skipped the 5th SONA of Marcos Jr. is his own sister, Sen. Imee Marcos. It is no secret to the Filipino people that the ties between the Marcos siblings are not so well right now.
Sen. Imee Marcos aligned herself with the Duterte family following the arrest and the transfer of the custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the International Criminal Court. It was in March 2025 when the former President was sent to The Hague, Netherlands for his detention under the ICC.
Then, Sen. Imee Marcos immediately left the senatorial slate of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Later on, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was endorsing her in campaign rallies. The Vice President has always been vocal that the presidential Sister is her friend and the one who convinced her to run alongside PBBM in 2022.
During his 5th SONA, Pres. Bongbong Marcos announced that piles of charges are allegedly waiting to be filed against his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The cases are in line with the allegations of flood control corruption.
Romualdez and Marcos Jr. were tagged by Zaldy Co in the flood control mess. The Malacañang Palace previously defended the President. However, as for Sen. Imee Marcos, their cousin is allegedly not the only one guilty in the supposed multi-billion corruption.
“Pawang pambubudol na naman ang sinabi ng Pangulo na malapit nang sampahan ng kaso ng Ombudsman si dating Speaker Martin Romualdez. Nakakapagtaka lang na kung gaano kabilis maghain ng kaso laban sa mga senador na tutol sa administrasyon ay siya namang kay kupad ng hustisyang mag-apruba at magrekomenda ng hatol para sa mga kilalang kaalyado ng pamahalaan. Hindi mag-isa si Martin Romualdez sa malawakang korapsyon ng pera at kapangyarihan,” the Senator said based on a post of News5.
Furthermore, Sen. Imee Marcos also recalled the line of Pres. Bongbong Marcos towards corrupt government officials in his previous SONA. Based on the post, she stressed that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez is allegedly not the start and the end of the corruption issue.
“Hindi siya ang simula at hindi siya ang dulo, at kung siya ang ipipilit, ibig bang sabihin, PINATAKBO NIYANG MAG-ISA ANG GOBYERNONG ITO? Anyare na sa “MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO” -eh ligtas pa rin naman ang mga walang hiya,” she expressed.
Also one of the senators who skipped the 5th SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos is Sen. Robin Padilla. Recently, Sen. Robin Padilla revealed his “personal friendship” with Marcos Jr. after skipping this year’s SONA.