Senator Imee Marcos, the estranged sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, said there is a void in the nation’s leadership as politicians grapple with a growing corruption scandal and instead is backing his deputy as a potential replacement.
“There is a vacuum at the top,” Imee Marcos said during an interview in her Manila office on Thursday. “And that’s a problem because all sorts of sinister and malignant forces have jumped in to fill that void.”
Tensions between the siblings escalated this month after Imee, 70, speaking at an anti-corruption rally, said that her brother was addicted to cocaine, allegations the president’s office denied. This week, Marcos took a swipe at Imee, expressing concerns for her and saying “the lady that you see talking on TV is not my sister”.
Advertisement
Asked how she would know about her brother’s alleged drug problem, Imee said she still receives reports from her sibling’s friends, doctors, presidential security and long-time family staff. “For some reason, I suppose because I’m the eldest, they still report to me,” she said.
A representative from the president’s office pushed back on Imee’s comments, saying the president had “already addressed this drug-related concern with a medical certificate that indicated a negative drug-use test result”.
Advertisement
The public feud comes at a critical period for the Southeast Asian nation, which is in the middle of a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving funds meant for flood infrastructure. Imee is siding with Vice-President Sara Duterte, the president’s former ally who has now become his biggest political rival after their close relationship collapsed over policy differences.