Senator Imee Marcos yesterday announced her withdrawal from the administration-backed coalition, Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, a decision which she said was prompted by circumstances surrounding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“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,” she said in a statement.
Senator Marcos had been very vocal about her misgivings on how her brother’s administration handled the arrest and subsequent surrender of Duterte to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands.
She also criticized administration officials’ supposed lack of transparency over the arrest, suggesting that the constant use of executive privilege and the subjudice rule during Senate hearings obstructed the truth.
“Beyond their constant narrative that the Philippines was simply complying with its international commitments, a deliberate effort to obscure the truth only gave rise to ever greater suspicion that the Constitution may have been disregarded and our sovereignty diminished by the arrest,” she said.
The senator reiterated her belief that the sovereignty of the Philippines and the pursuit of true justice must take priority over political alliances.
“As will be soon discussed in my preliminary findings, clearly there were actions taken by the administration which ran counter to my ideals and principles,” Marcos said.
Her office later confirmed that her departure from the coalition was official and final.
In response, the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas said it “respects” Marcos’ decision to withdraw from the administration senatorial slate.
“We respect Senator Imee’s decision. We wish her luck in the campaign,” Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, Alyansa’s campaign manager, said.
On Saturday, the senator was excluded from President Marcos’ endorsement speech at a Laguna campaign rally, where he urged the voting public to support only 11 candidates instead of the original 12 in the slate.
This sparked speculation that the lady senator was already on her way out of the administration slate.