Imee officially bolts Alyansa

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- CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE

Amid speculation that her brother President Marcos had junked her from the administration's Senate slate, Sen. Imee Marcos broke away yesterday from the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

"As will be soon discussed in my preliminary findings, clearly there were actions taken by the administration that ran counter to my ideals and principles. Thus, I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa. As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence," Marcos said in a statement sent to Senate reporters.

She said the government witnesses in the Senate's probe on former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest on orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week appeared to be hiding essential facts by repeatedly invoking executive privilege and the sub judice rule.

"Over and above political advantage, the sovereignty of the country and the interest of true justice for every Filipino must remain paramount," Senator Marcos said.

She pointed out that "beyond their constant narrative that the Philippines was simply complying with its international commitments, a deliberate effort to obscure the truth only gave rise to ever greater suspicion that the Constitution may have been disregarded and our sovereignty diminished by the arrest of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

Senator Marcos has been vocal in her support for Duterte, criticizing her brother’s administration, which she said did not stop the illegal arrest of the former president.