Imee Marcos slams brother Ferdinand, prefers Sara Duterte for president
The senator opens a new chapter in the family feud, which threatens to affect the whole country. After accusing her brother of being a drug addict, she claims that a leadership vacuum exists in the country; for this reason, she is calling for the vice president to take over. Political differences and a mounting corruption scandal are behind the clash. But some observers question the leadership skills of Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Manila (AsiaNews) – There is a vacuum at the helm of the country, said Senator Imee Marcos, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s estranged sister, a clear jab at her brother and his entourage. In her view, Vice President Sara Duterte would be better at the job.
The senator’s remarks open a new fault line at the highest levels of government, at a time when several senior politicians are implicated in a shocking and ever-growing corruption scandal, which threatens to further undermine the country's credibility.
“There is a vacuum at the top," Imee Marcos said in an interview today. This is “a problem because all sorts of sinister and malignant forces have jumped to fill that void." For this reason, she has thrown her support behind the vice president as a possible replacement.
Tensions between the two siblings escalated this month after Imee, 70, spoke at an anti-corruption rally, claiming that her brother was addicted to cocaine, allegations the president's office has categorically denied.
For his part, President Marcos attacked his sister and former ally this week. Expressing concern for her, he stated that "the lady you see talking on TV is not my sister."
When asked how she knew about her brother's alleged drug problem, Imee replied that she still receives reports from his friends, doctors, presidential security, and longtime family staff.
“For some reason, I guess because I'm the eldest, they keep reporting to me," she explained, fuelling a family and political feud that threatens to cast a dark shadow over the country.
A representative from the president's office dismissed the senator's remarks, saying that the president had “already addressed this drug-related concern with a medical certificate that indicated a negative drug-use test result.”
The public spat between the Marcos comes at a critical time for the Southeast Asian nation, caught up in a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving funds earmarked for flood infrastructure.
In this crisis, Imee Marcos sides with Vice President Sara Duterte, a former ally of the president who has now become his biggest rival after their close relationship collapsed due to political differences.
With the Marcos administration facing one of its greatest challenges, as the corruption scandal implicates members of the government, including the president himself, there have been calls for the 68-year-old to resign.
Furthermore, most anti-corruption protesters have called for the criminal prosecution of those implicated in the scandal, including lawmakers, officials, and contractors.
The senator stated that if the situation worsens, constitutional succession would be the ideal option. “If it’s going to be the vice president, I’m sure that she’ll step into the void and fill in.”
Imee Marcos’s statements in support of Sara Duterte come on the eve of the International Criminal Court's appeal ruling on the bail petition filed by Rodrigo Duterte, Sara's father and former Philippine president, in The Hague.
The court could grant bail, meaning Duterte would be released from prison pending further proceedings, or it could reject the appeal, keeping him in pretrial detention.
During the midterm elections in May, Imee left her brother's ticket to join Sara Duterte in the campaign, ultimately securing her re-election.
Sara Duterte, also the subject of allegations of misuse of public funds, which she denies, is considered a strong candidate in the runup to the 2028 presidential elections. Marcos cannot run beyond his single six-year term.
Associate Professor Gary Ador Dionisio, dean of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance, said that Imee Marcos's latest statements will not help the country emerge from the corruption crisis.
“What we need is more of clarity, more evidence than controversy,” he said. As a potential president, Prof Dionisio added, Sara Duterte “has questionable and problematic leadership and governance performance. The replacement is like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
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18/06/2022 16:25
