President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. campaigned for only 11 senatorial candidates under the administration’s slate during a rally in Laguna on Saturday, March 22, leaving one candidate unmentioned.
Ten senatorial hopefuls from the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas joined the event, but Marcos notably urged support for just “11” bets in his speech. He did not clarify which candidate was excluded.
Reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos and Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar were again absent, marking their second consecutive no-show following the Cavite rally on Friday. While the president mentioned Villar in his speech, he left out his sister Imee.
Campaign manager and Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco clarified that there have been no discussions about removing Villar or Marcos from the slate. “Imee should answer that question. It’s not for us,” Tiangco said.
Imee Marcos, meanwhile, attended a separate forum in Quezon City and said she had no issue with being excluded from her brother’s campaign mentions. She admitted to feeling distanced from the president and cited her opposition to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest as a reason for skipping earlier rallies.
“This goes beyond politics,” she said, adding that the current national issues matter more than family dynamics or elections.
