Honeylet on Imee probe: Just pa-ekek

After three hearings, the Senate inquiry on the arrest and turnover of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has failed to impress his partner, Honeylet Avanceña.

- BELLA CARIASO

"Pa-ekek na lang yon," Avanceña said outside the ICC prison where Duterte is detained in The Hague, when asked about what she thought of the probe being conducted by the Senate committee on foreign relations.

Ekek in Filipino slang can mean gimmickry or empty talk.

Asked about her thoughts on committee chair Sen. Imee Marcos, Avanceña said, "Hindi ako naniniwala doon (I don't believe in her)... Tanong siya na 'ano ba talaga nangyari'? Hindi ba niya nakita ang nangyari? (She asks what happened. Didn't she see what happened?)"

Marcos, elder sister of President Marcos, sees herself as a friend of the Dutertes, particularly Vice President Sara Duterte. But there are questions on whether the Vice President shares the same view.

After the first hearing of the Senate panel, the Vice President was asked if she would endorse the reelection bid of Senator Marcos, who is outside the so-called Magic 12 winners’ circle in surveys on the senatorial race.

The Vice President replied that she was still thinking about it. There has been no other statement from her on a possible endorsement since then.

Senator Marcos has formally withdrawn from the administration coalition’s Senate slate. This came after her brother stopped mentioning her in campaign sorties, fueling speculation that she had been junked from the slate.