Sen. Imee Marcos has gone from UniTeam to ITIM, and now Lulong, in what could be a last-ditch effort to keep her seat in the upper chamber – and political survival.
Taking a giant leap of faith, she turned her back on her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., abandoned the administration’s senatorial slate to secure the support of Vice President Sara Duterte and boost her chances of winning in the May 12 polls.
After getting bumped off the Magic 12 in the latest surveys on the senatorial slate amid the acrimonious battle between the Marcos and Duterte camps, the senator finally chose to go with the vice president, her brother’s arch enemy, less than a month before the midterm elections.
The move marked the end of what political pundits have long described as Imee’s “pamamangka sa dalawang ilog“, her remaining a vocal supporter of the Dutertes despite their attacks on the President and his administration which she continued to identify herself with.
Until April 14.
On that date, the President’s older sister appeared in a 30-second political advertisement where Sara officially endorsed her. The advertisement, with the title “ITIM” (black) – which stands for Inday Trusts Imee Marcos and Ipaglaban ang Tama, Itama ang Mali (Fight for what is right, Right was is Wrong) showed the two women taking turns at hitting the Marcos administration.
Dressed in black, faces somber, they portrayed the country as in its darkest days because of hunger, crime and injustice. In her spiel, Imee noted that people outside the administration’s circle are harassed.
Imee also released a campaign ad titled “Lulong“, which used a crocodile to symbolize corrupt and opportunistic government officials that she promises to crush. Lulong, which could be a wordplay for Lolong, the largest saltwater crocodile ever held in captivity in the country, but it also refers to drug addicts.
While Imee mentioned “lulong sa droga” (addicted to drugs) in the ad without mentioning any name, many have connected it to the President. The senator captioned the ad on her Facebook page with an explanation of how a political campaign video has evolved into a crusade against Lulong, which stands for Linta Ulupong Lason Oportunistang Nasa Gobyerno (referring to parasites, treacherous, venoms and opportunists in government).
“Patutunayan kong hindi ako kunsintedora,” she declared. Kunsintedora refers to someone who enables wrongdoings.
This was a complete turnaround from the Imee Marcos who convinced Sara to run in tandem with her younger brother as the UniTeam in 2022. The senator tried to keep the partnership intact after winning and then to salvage what was left of it when cracks started showing – and growing – before exploding in 2024.
Devil’s advocate
For a long while, Imee confused both the public and players on both sides of the political fence.
She had constantly played the devil’s advocate to the administration, openly criticizing her brother’s policies but stressing that she was not a critic, and was merely expressing her concerns. Her often biting remarks that included attacks on the President himself earned Imee the distrust of the administration and its political allies.
On the other hand, the Duterte camp was also wary of the senator despite her giving public notice that she would stand by the Davao-based family “even if she was the last person standing to do so.”
While Imee has managed to keep Sara’s public support, some in the Duterte camp received her show of allegiance with a cold shoulder. Former presidential spokesperson Atty. Salvador Panelo dismissed the senator’s efforts to investigate the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte as “pambobola” (flattery). Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, for another, dared Imee to expose her brother’s alleged drug use.
Before she finally burned her bridges to the administration, however, Imee had disagreed with her brother on several key issues:
Bulacan Airport Special Ecozone Bill
In July 2022, Imee expressed her disappointment when Bongbong, two days after assuming office, vetoed the Bulacan Airport ecozone bill on grounds that it may “pose substantial fiscal risks to the country.” Warning that the veto might create a “chilling effect” on local and foreign investors, she and other lawmakers filed a new bill in February 2024 that lapsed into law in June 2024.
37th EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary
In an unprecedented move on Feb. 25, 2023, Bongbong offered “his hand of reconciliation to those with different political persuasions” during the 37th anniversary of the EDSA People Power.
Many saw this as a sign of growing rift between the President and his older sister, who refused to commemorate that day. While Imee released a message on looking back at the lessons of people power, she notably skipped the Tan-ok Festival in Ilocos Norte, which fell on the same day and was attended by her brother.
In an Ilocano Facebook post, the senator explained that “fate played a cruel trick” when the festival coincided with a date she “cannot stomach to celebrate.” Imee later clarified that it was her son, Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc, that she was blaming for carelessly scheduling the festival on the same day.
Policies on agriculture
Imee was vocal about the agricultural policies which Bongbong was responsible for as agricultural secretary from June 2022 to November 2023. She abstained from the vote to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in February 2023, saying it would hit the agricultural sector hard.
The trade deal between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its partners Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand was being pushed by the administration, especially the economic managers, envisioning a more competitive agricultural sector. The Senate ratified the trade deal five days after the President lobbied for it.
Imee also criticized her brother for being “too kind” to agricultural smugglers, noting that not one had been caught even when several have been exposed in media. The administration’s implementation of price ceilings on certain rice varieties in August 2023 likewise infuriated the senator. She contended that their father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., would “rise from his grave and declare martial law” from what the administration was doing.
Last February, the presidential sister also slammed the agriculture department’s decision to import 4,000 metric tons of onion at the same time local farmers began harvesting their crops. The following month, she criticized the roll out of the P20 kilo bigas which was exempted from the spending ban for the upcoming elections.
West Philippine Sea and foreign policy
Imee has long been warning the administration not to make the Filipino people choose between China and the Philippines.
In March 2023, she confronted the defense department on the reported new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in Northern Luzon near the Taiwan Strait when it was the West Philippine Sea that should be the area of concern. Four new sites were eventually identified: two in Cagayan, one in Isabela, and another one in Palawan.
Yet when the issue of the “gentlemen’s agreement” between former president Duterte and China broke out in March last year, Imee chose to support Duterte, downplaying the critics’ reactions as “overacting” and exaggerated.
She accused her brother’s administration as suddenly becoming “pro-American” and “anti-China”, which she said is a turnaround from the previous administration’s policies. The senator also criticized the administration’s acceptance of a United States request to house Afghan refugees.
Last year, Imee also opposed Bongbong’s push for the creation of the National Maritime Council predicting this would be “fuel to never-ending conflicts.”
People’s Initiative and Mindanao Secession
In January 2024, all 24 senators signed the manifesto rejecting the People’s Initiative to call for a constitutional convention to revise the 1987 Charter. Imee accused her cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of orchestrating the move, citing paper trails leaked to her.
She urged the president to stop the move as she would not allow the Marcos administration to “be used to once again besmirch” their father’s legacy. However, Imee downplayed Duterte’s idea of a Mindanao secession in reaction to the initiative, saying it was a statement out of sheer frustration, not a threat.
Maharlika Wealth Fund
From the beginning, Imee was reluctant about the Maharlika Investment Fund bill proposed by Romualdez and her nephew and the President’s eldest son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, and expressed concerns about the country’s economic status. Imee said she did not vote for its approval because “there is no extra money” for it and insisted that “safeguards be put in place.” However, Bongbong signed the bill into law describing it as the push needed for the country’s economic and infrastructure goals.
Sara Duterte’s confidential funds
Unlike her critical stand on her brother and his administration, Imee has been consistent in defense of her friend, the vice president, even when some Duterte family members and their allies questioned the senator’s sincerity.
Imee defended Sara when the spotlight was placed on her controversial confidential and intelligence funds, saying that politics was behind the removal of the funds of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education under the 2024 budget.
At the height of the controversy, Sara told Imee she would have the body of her father, Marcos St., exhumed and thrown into the West Philippine Sea if the administration camp did not stop their political attacks. Imee admitted she was “shocked” by this but dismissed it as just the vice president’s anger talking.
2025 national budget
Imee urged her brother to scrutinize the 2025 budget before signing it as she criticized the P1.1 trillion allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways and urged him to restore the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s P74-billion subsidy, among others. She called the President a “thief in the night” when the Palace announced Marcos Jr. would sign the bill, which he did, but vetoed the P194 billion for items not included among the administration’s priorities.
VP Sara Duterte impeachment
All this time, the once close relationship between the President and Vice President was also fast deteriorating, fueled by suspicions that the President and their cousin, Speaker Romualdez, were plotting to discredit Sara and diminish her chances of becoming president. The Vice President was leading in surveys for the 2028 presidential race while the congressman was a bottom dweller.
The rivalry finally led to Sara’s resignation as education secretary, the breakup of the UniTeam and her impeachment by the House last Feb. 5 for assassination threats, misuse and malversation of confidential funds, bribery and other acts of graft and corruption, among others.
Imee, who could sit as a judge in the Vice President”s impeachment trial set to start on July 30, had opposed Sara’s impeachment.
Duterte ICC arrest
Photos during the April 10 Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. PHOTOS: Bullit Marquez.
The situation came to a head on March 11, when the President allowed Sara’s father, the former president, to be arrested and hastily flown to The Hague, Netherlands, where he is now detained to face trial for human rights violations under his “bloody war on drugs.”
It seemed to be the final straw for Imee.
On March 20, the senator, sitting as chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, called for a public inquiry on Duterte’s arrest. In the three hearings on the issue, the senator grilled administration officials responsible for what she described as the “illegal arrest” of the former president. Imee revealed that her brother was angry at her for doing this but stood firm that the hearings were “not anti-administration.”
Bongbong denied Imee’s claim that there was a “group effort” to arrest his predecessor. But his older sister further urged the Ombudsman to investigate the Cabinet officials involved who may be liable for graft, usurpation of judicial functions, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service, among others.
Surveys say…
Survey results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in June 2023 had predicted that Imee would comfortably land between sixth to eighth place in the May elections. Figures in October 2024 were similar, placing her in sixth to seventh place.
However, she dropped big time to the 12th to 14th rank last January and in February, then further down to 16th in March. The decline happened as major issues between the Marcos and Duterte camps were brewing.
Imee’s survey numbers slightly rose after the vice president’s show of support. From 16th place in the SWS senatorial preference survey last March, she jumped to 13th to 14th in April, but still outside the Magic 12.
Analysts believe Imee is a victim of the fallout from Sara’s impeachment and her father’s arrest.
In the March 2025 survey of Pulse Asia, 61% of respondents said they had “big trust” in Sara, up from 53% the previous month. In the same survey, President Marcos’ trust rating fell to 25% from 42% in February with the majority (54%) indicating they had little or no trust in him compared to the 16% who said they had “small on no trust” in Sara.
With these numbers, analysts believe Imee’s decision to go with the Vice President was a tactical move to stay in power. Standing behind the Dutertes in this political war could give her the votes in Mindanao and the Visayas, the family’s bailiwick, where the senator’s numbers took a hit.
Analysts are unsure if Imee’s gamble would pay off and win her another Senate term, but one thing seems apparent, the once formidable Marcos dynasty of the Solid North is starting to crumble.
