MANILA, Philippines — After withdrawing from the administration’s Senate slate, reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos yesterday filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for the May 2025 midterm elections.
Marcos was accompanied by her mother, former first lady Imelda, and her sons Borgy and Michael when she arrived at the Manila Hotel to submit her COC to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The members of the so-called macho bloc in the Senate led by former senator Tito Sotto also filed their COCs for senator yesterday.
Sotto and two other bloc members – former senator Panfilo Lacson and reelectionist Lito Lapid – submitted their respective COCs to the poll body.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia welcomed Marcos upon her arrival at the filing venue. She was the 19th senatorial aspirant to officially file the COC since the start of the filing on Tuesday.
According to Marcos, she will be running under her old political party the Nacionalista and will be mounting a nationwide campaign on her own.
“I will not constitute the administration alliance to allow me to work together with every sector, to be able to cross the line and get things done,” she told reporters.
“The elections will be bloody, fiery and fierce. It’s better if I don’t have competitors,” she added.
The senator said she discussed her decision with her brother, President Marcos, who assured her that he would still be supporting her candidacy.
She added that Imelda is excited and praying for her senatorial bid.
However, Marcos said there is still no discussion and has not asked her friend, Vice President Sara Duterte, to openly endorse her candidacy.
Marcos said she decided not to join any coalition so she could help all sectors.
She also downplayed the results of a recent survey showing her in the bottom 12 in the senatorial race.
Former Senate president Sotto meanwhile was accompanied by his wife Helen and two children – Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian and actress Ciara.
According to Sotto, he decided to return to the Senate so he could push his previous bills that were unacted upon, such as the government rightsizing and the measure granting 14th month pay to workers.
If given the chance to make a Senate comeback, Sotto said he would also push for the passage of a measure seeking to outlaw fake news. He also intends to bring back proper decorum practices in the Senate.
He added that he was not thinking of being a Senate president again, but if elected by his colleagues, he would be ready to serve.
Sotto said he convinced Lacson to throw his hat into the senatorial ring again because he would be an “asset” in the Senate.
“Should I be given again the mandate to return to the Senate, I do not have to reinvent myself. I pledge to continue not availing of the pork barrel allocations in any shape or form. I will continue to be a vanguard of the annual national budget to the best of my ability,” Lacson proclaimed.
Despite being part of the administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate, Lacson will run as an independent in next year’s midterm polls.
“This is not new to me,” Lacson said in Filipino on “Storycon” on One News yesterday.
He noted that he ran as an independent in 2007, although he was adopted at the time by the United Opposition or UNO, which he indicated as his party.
Unlike UNO, Lacson noted that the Marcos administration’s Alyansa was not registered as a party, which prohibited it from issuing a certificate of nomination and acceptance.
Lacson said he is officially a guest candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, one of the political parties that make up the Alyansa coalition.
Lacson is eyeing a fourth term as a senator, having served two consecutive terms from 2001 to 2013 and another term from 2016 to 2022.
He said he will join organized rallies for Alyansa candidates, as well as campaign with those from NPC such as Sotto, Lapid and outgoing Makati Mayor Abby Binay.
Another member, former senator Gregorio Honasan, was not able to join them due to an emergency.
Honasan is not part of Alyansa, but Lacson confirmed that he will run under a newly formed party.
Meanwhile, Lapid said if he will be reelected, he will expand his free legal assistance program, better known as the “Lapid Law.”
The three members of the macho bloc are part of Marcos’ 2025 senatorial slate.
Overall, 10 aspiring senators yesterday filed their COCs, bringing the total number of those who officially expressed their intention to join the senatorial race next year to 27.
Of the 10 candidates, four are known political figures who are seeking to return to the Senate while the rest are independent bets.
The six independent bets are Eric Negapatan, Magno Manalo, Bethsaida Lopez, Manuel Andrada, Victoriano Inte and Jonry Gargarita. — Rhodina Villanueva, Janvic Mateo