Imee Marcos backs Sara Duterte, calls brother’s campaign ‘insane and wicked’

Senator Imee Marcos, the older sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has strongly criticized her brother's administration for what she calls an 'insane and wicked campaign' against Vice-President Sara Duterte. Speaking from the family’s ancestral home in Manila, with a painting of her mother Imelda and late dictator father Ferdinand Marcos Sr. behind her, Imee described the ongoing impeachment efforts as a tragic waste of the family's second chance at leadership. She warned that 'stagflation is around the corner' and that the government should focus on economic issues instead of political vendettas.

Imee, who claims a 'non-existent' relationship with her brother and last spoke to him three years ago, is one of 13 senators allied with Duterte. The vice-president faces a Senate trial starting July after being impeached a second time in the lower house. Given the two-thirds majority required for conviction, acquittal is likely. However, conviction would mean removal and permanent disqualification from politics. Imee hopes the trial concludes by September and that only relevant evidence is presented.