Was it merely coincidence that Senator Imee Marcos found herself always in the same area where her brother’s slate was holding a campaign sortie? Or is she simply playing it safe, avoiding close association with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s team to avoid offending the Dutertes?
Senator Imee, who is seeking reelection, clarified on Tuesday, February 18, that she remains an “independent” candidate despite attending campaign kickoffs for Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in vote-rich areas across the country, except the rally in Davao, the Dutertes’ stronghold.
She attended the Laoag sortie on February 11, marking the start of the campaign period for senators and party-list groups. The choice of Laoag for Alyansa’s first sortie was strategic, as it is the bailiwick of the Marcoses.
“Umattend ko sa Laoag kasi naghihimotok na ‘yung anak ko, si Gov. Matt [Matthew Manotoc], at siyempre, Laoag naman ‘yun, alangan namang hindi ko sisiputan. So, nagpunta ako,” Senator Imee told reporters on Tuesday, when she was asked about how she was doing with the campaign.
(I attended the Laoag sortie because my son, Governor Matt, was already complaining, and of course, it’s Laoag, I couldn’t just ignore it. So, I went.)
She also noted that she attended the Iloilo sortie of Alyansa on February 13 because, coincidentally, she was already there in the province because of an invitation from a local official. It made sense to join the Alyansa rally.
The President’s sister held a separate press briefing on Tuesday ahead of the Alyansa sortie in Pasay City, choosing to skip the slate’s scheduled 1 pm briefing prior to their 4 pm rally. In her briefing, she confirmed that she would join the Pasay sortie, citing the city’s support for her family in the previous elections.
The Pasay sortie marked the conclusion of Alyansa’s campaign kickoff across key regions in the country, representing the vote-rich Metro Manila in Luzon. With 7.32 million registered voters, the metropolis is a critical battleground in the 2025 elections. In 2022, the “Uniteam” swept all 17 cities in the region.
When asked if she would join other Alyansa rallies in the future, Imee didn’t give a categorical answer and instead said she would attend sorties organized by friends. She is running under the Nacionalista Party, which is also part of the Alyansa coalition.
Let’s backtrack a bit. On September 28, 2024, she withdrew from her brother’s Alyansa slate, saying she didn’t want to put the President in a difficult position given the fallout with his former ally, Vice President Sara Duterte.
When the Uniteam alliance began to show cracks in November 2023, following former president Rodrigo Duterte’s feud with House lawmakers led by Speaker Martin Romualdez and the confidential funds issue involving the Vice President, Imee pledged her allegiance to the Dutertes rather than side with her first cousin, the Speaker. (READ: Imee’s choice: Through thick and thin, I’ll stick with the Dutertes)
But it seems that a tight race calls for calculated measures for Imee, as she is not guaranteed a spot in the so-called magic 12 of the 2025 senatorial race, at least based on latest pre-election surveys.
In the January 2025 Senate race survey by Social Weather Stations, Imee ranked 14th, just outside the winning circle. However, a separate Pulse Asia survey conducted in January showed her polling between 4th and 12th. The Pulse survey indicates that the race for the last six Senate seats will be tight, with 14 out of 66 candidates having a “statistical chance” of winning.
Despite her pronouncement that she is out of her brother’s slate, Alyansa campaign manager Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco said that Senator Marcos would still remain among their candidates. – Rappler.com