President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Imee Marcos

MANILA, Philippines – President’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos formally announced her withdrawal from the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial ticket days after the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and her controversial Senate probe into the government’s supposed surrender of the ex-state chief to the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

In an official statement released Wednesday (March 26), the re-electionist lawmaker boldly slammed the administration of her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with the seizure of a Filipino citizen, much less a former president, by a foreign judicial body. 

The older Marcos who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted an inquiry into the former president’s arrest where she grilled members of the Marcos cabinet who tried to hold ground but pushed back with floundering answers as they tried to defend the legality of their move. The hearing exposed substantial details where a constitutional expert ruled out that there was indeed a violation of Duterte’s constitutional rights. 

“Sa aking paunang natuklasan, na ilalahad ko sa mga darating na araw, malinaw na may mga hakbang na ginawa ang administrasyon na salungat sa aking mga paniniwala at prisipyo,” she said. 

It is for this reason that she could no longer campaign with allies of the government who allegedly architectured the arrest. 

“Dahil dito, hindi ko na magagawang mangampanya at tumuntong sa iisang entablado kasama ang iba pang kasapi ng Alyansa,” she said. 

“Tulad ng aking sinabi mula sa umpisa ng panahon ng halalan, mananatili akong independyente,” she said. 

During the five-hour hearing last Thursday, March 20, cabinet officials often invoked the executive privilege and the sub judice rule on Duterte’s case as a habeas corpus petition filed by the former president’s children is pending before the Supreme Court. 

Noticeably, the government executives invoked such privilege whenever they were being grilled by the senator on divulging specific details about the arrest.  

“Sa patuloy nilang pagbanggit ng executive privilege at sub judice rule – kahit sa mga pagkakataong walang malinaw na kaugnayan ang mga ito sa tanong na ibinabato – ang mga kinatawan ng gobyerno sa pagdinig ng Senado noong nakaraang linggo ay mistulang nagtatago ng mahahalagang katotohanan,” she said. 

Philippine Center on Transnational Crime Executive Director Anthony Alcantara was insisting the Philippines had to honor its commitment to the International Criminal Police Organization. The senator pinned Alcantara of the direct consequence of not doing so, Alcantara answered with not being sure. 

“Paulit-ulit nilang hirit sumusunod lamang ang bansa sa pandaigdigang kasunduan. Pero ang hayagang pagtatakip sa katotohanan ay lalo lamang nagpalakas ng hinala na maaaring nalabag ang Saligang Batas at nabawasan ang ating soberanya sa pagkakaaresto ni Dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte,” she said. 

After the hearing, Marcos no longer made mentions of her sister in the Alyansa sorties that followed. 

Vice President Sara Duterte expressed gratitude to the senator but has yet to comment if she will endorse the lawmaker. 

PDP-Laban meanwhile isn’t likely warming up on Imee even after her defiance from her brother according to senatorial bet Raul Lambino. 

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