Lawmakers reposition as corruption row dogs Marcos

LAWMAKERS are expected to begin repositioning and quietly shifting allegiances this year as President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s influence over Congress weakens, with a widening graft scandal complicating efforts to hold the ruling coalition together, political analysts said over the weekend.

- By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporter

Senators and congressmen are expected to start hedging as Mr. Marcos enters the "lame duck" phase, when presidential influence traditionally fades in the second half of a six-year term.

That decline, they said, is being accelerated by corruption allegations tied to government infrastructure projects, which have weighed on public trust and unsettled political alliances.