Desperate to get back into the “winner’s circle” of the May 12 senatorial race, reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos released yet another bombastic campaign ad, declaring her fight against “lulong.”
The common English translation of “lulong” is addiction or hooked. This appears to be a jab at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her younger brother, who has been accused by the camp of Vice President Sara Duterte as a drug addict.
“Ang aking panata, labanan si lulong. Lulong sa droga, lulong sa krimen (My vow, fight addiction. Drug addiction, crime addiction),” the 69-year-old sister of the president said.
“Nagkukunwaring nag-aabot ng tulong ngunit lulong sa korapsyon (Pretending to extend help but addicted to corruption),” she added.
These lines are similar to what we hear from the Duterte camp in their criticisms of the president and his administration.
In the ad, Imee stomped on a crocodile as she passionately proclaimed, “Galit tayo sa buwaya, sa kapangyarihan ay lulong (We’re angry at crocodiles, addicted to power).”
Lulong appears to be a play on the name Lolong, the largest saltwater crocodile ever held in captivity in the country. Crocodiles are associated with corruption.
In the 30-second ad, Imee defined “lulong” as linta, ulupong, lason, oportunistang nasa gobyerno. Translated literally, it refers to leech, cobra, poison, opportunists in the government. It could be an insinuation to people around the president who could influence his decisions on critical issues, such as those involving the Dutertes.
When she posted the ad on her Facebook page Monday last week, April 28, Imee said in the caption that her fight against “lulong” used to be a political campaign but has now evolved into a crusade.
“Patutunayan kong hindi ako kunsintidora! (I will prove that I do not condone wrongdoings),” she vowed.
The next day, she held a press conference announcing her findings, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, that the inquiry on the March 11 arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte “uncovered acts by high-ranking government officials which very likely constitute criminal and administrative offenses.”
She asked the Ombudsman to investigate the officials — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla, PNP chief Police Gen. Rommel Marbil, CIDG chief Police Gen. Nicolas Torre III, and special envoy for transnational crimes Markus Lacanilao — responsible for Duterte’s arrest and handover to the International Criminal Court to face trial in connection with the bloody war on drugs that reportedly left around 30,000 suspected drug personalities dead from 2011 to 2019.
Imee’s report was obviously favorable to the Dutertes. She has, in fact, secured the endorsement of the vice president, who has brought her along in her campaign sorties to raise the hands of senatorial candidates backed by her father and the opponents of congressmen who pushed her impeachment.
But the words Imee used in the political ad to attack the Marcos administration officials could also apply to the Dutertes and their minions, who are facing the same criticisms and more serious allegations of corruption, drug trafficking and crimes against humanity.
While the allegations in the vice president’s impeachment, such as bribery, graft and corruption, and threatening the lives of the president, the first lady and House speaker are well documented, the Dutertes have yet to come out with proof from credible sources to support their accusations against Marcos and his allies.
In July 2024, the Duterte camp released a video showing a man resembling the president snorting a white substance, supposedly cocaine. However, the National Bureau of Investigation and experts on artificial intelligence and deep fakes have found traces of facial manipulation in the video clip. Despite that, they keep mentioning the video to suggest that the president is a drug addict.
The Dutertes just brush aside accusations of graft and corruption, as well as protecting drug traffickers as mere “political persecution” and maneuvering for the 2028 presidential elections to bar the vice president from seeking higher office. Still, Imee chose to take their side over her younger brother, showing that politics is thicker than blood.
But has she realized that the Dutertes, who have ruled Davao City for more than three decades, could also be the crocodiles who are addicted to drugs and power, and have their own set of linta, ulupong, lason, oportunistang nasa gobyerno?
Her two-timing (namamangka sa dalawang ilog) posturing in this election might give her the most bitter lesson she could get in her lifetime if she loses, despite her whopping campaign expenses and worsening an already sour relationship with her brother.
She chose to set aside her relationship with the president because she failed to be treated like a “Super Ate ng Pangulo” that she had wanted to be.
In August 2021, former president Duterte said: “Kasi ‘yang si Imee, ganito ang laro niyan eh, pinupuntahan niya si Mayor Sa[ra] Duterte sa Davao hoping na kung magtakbo ‘yun, siya ang maging bise (Imee’s game is like this, she goes to Mayor Sara Duterte in Davao, hoping that if the latter runs [for the 2022 presidential elections], she will be vice president).” Is Imee still hoping this could happen in 2028?
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.
This column also appeared in The Manila Times.
