MANILA — Sen. Imee Marcos on Wednesday denied the existence of any “term-sharing” agreement between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, calling the allegation “kasinungalingan” as it surfaced in ongoing House proceedings.
The senator issued the statement in response to claims made by Ramil Madriaga — a detained suspect who identified himself as an alleged bagman of the Vice President — in a supplemental affidavit submitted to the House Committee on Justice.
Madriaga alleged that an agreement existed for Marcos to step down by 2025 to allow Duterte to assume the presidency, supposedly discussed prior to the 2022 national elections and relayed to him by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In a press conference, Marcos rejected the accusation and moved to correct what she described as misinformation being circulated in connection with the case.
“Ako bilang senador at kapatid ni Bonget (President Marcos), sampu ng mga tunay na nakakaalam ng pangyayari ay may moral na pananagutan na itama ang kasinungalingan ni Madriaga,” Senator Marcos said.
She likewise dismissed outright the notion of any arrangement to divide presidential terms.
“So unang-una, no such thing as ‘yang mga term-term, ano ba yan? Maghahati ng term? Sinabi na meron daw alyansa and magte-term sharing. Naku talaga naman, kasinungalingan ‘yan,” Senator Marcos said.
Marcos also refuted Madriaga’s claim that her brother had convinced former president Duterte to accept Sara Duterte as his running mate.
“Pero ang walang hiyang Madriaga na ‘yan, ang sabi a few months before November 21, na-convince ni Bongbong si PRRD na si Inday ang maging VPsa kanya. Hinding-hindi si Bongbong. Nag-umpisa kami mag-usap-usap sa isang GCnoong September 7,” Imee said.
The senator further urged the President to directly address the issue and set the record straight.
“Alam mo ang katotohanan, nandoon ka, magkasama tayo. Kung hindi mo ito ipinag-uutos, walang dahilan para hindi mo itama ang kasinungaling na ito,” she added.
Marcos maintained that no such agreement ever existed, warning that the spread of such allegations could erode public trust and undermine the integrity of government institutions./PN
