‘THE LAST STRAW?’: Imee Marcos Leaves Bro’s Slate Over Duterte Arrest Hearing

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The March 20 Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on the International Criminal Court (ICC)-commissioned arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to be the final straw for Sen. Imee Marcos’ support of her brother’s Senate slate.

Sen. Marcos announced on March 26 that she is withdrawing from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s five-party Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition.

In a statement, she said administration officials invoked executive privilege and the sub judice rule during the hearing to conceal information from the committee.

She reiterated her position that the government disregarded Philippine laws by surrendering Duterte to the ICC.

“By repeatedly invoking executive privilege and the sub judice rule during the Senate’s hearing last week, the government witnesses appeared to be hiding essential facts,” Marcos said in her statement.

“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 of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” she added.

Marcos said these actions conflicted with her “ideals and principles,” which she did not specify but cited as grounds for leaving the administration-backed alliance.

“I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” she said.

“As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence,” she added.

“Over and above political advantage, the sovereignty of the country and the interest of true justice for every Filipino must remain paramount.”

Since Duterte’s arrest on March 11, Marcos has been absent from Alyansa campaign events, choosing instead to campaign independently in other areas.

This is not the first time she distanced herself from her brother’s slate.

In September 2024, she declined his endorsement to join the lineup, citing her long-standing friendship with Vice President Sara Duterte, who had been gradually distancing herself from the administration coalition.

Despite this earlier refusal, Marcos still appeared at some Alyansa sorties, including the coalition’s Feb. 13 rally in Iloilo City.