MANILA, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos filed her candidacy for a second term on Wednesday, October 2, after withdrawing from her brother’s coalition for the 2025 senatorial race.
She is running under the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Filipino tycoon Manny Villar.
“Hindi ko pa napapagusapan ‘yon. Ang akin lang, pinili ko maging malaya para hindi na ako kakampi kung kanino man,” the senator said, when asked if she’d be willing to accept an invitation from the Duterte camp.
(I haven’t discussed that yet. I just chose to be free so I wouldn’t have to ally with anyone.)
In a video statement last Saturday, September 28, Marcos announced that she was opting out of the administration coalition Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition to protect her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and to not offend her friends.
In November 2023, as the UniTeam alliance started to fracture over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s conflict with House lawmakers and Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds issue, Imee Marcos chose to side with the Dutertes rather than her first cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Despite the withdrawal, the President said he still supports the candidacy of her sister.
“That’s fine. That’s her choice. I suppose it gives her a little bit of scope and freedom to make her own schedule to campaign the way that she would like to do,” Marcos said.
Defending her decision, Imee insisted on Monday, September 30, that she was not trying to navigate two rivers.
“Maraming nagsasabi noon na ako’y namamangka sa dalawang ilog. Ang ninanais ko ay ako ang daan kung saan magtatagpo ang lahat ng ilog. Tangway, ika nga sa atin. It’s a tremendous sacrifice to stand alone,” Imee said.
(Many have said before that I am trying to navigate two rivers. What I desire is to be the path where all rivers meet. A peninsula, as we say.)
In 2019, Imee ran under the NP and placed 8th in the Senate race, with 15,882,628 votes.
In the recent Pulse Asia Research survey conducted in September 6 to 13, Imee ranked 10th to 12th/13th. – Rappler.com