THOSE who have been attempting to push Senator Imee Marcos into running for Manila mayor with the obvious intention of riding on her coattails are in for a big disappointment.
It has been confirmed that the good Senator is not interested.
Recently, she was in the company of Barangay Chairman Jefferson Lau, President of the Manila Chinatown Barangay Organization (MCBO) and other barangay chairmen from the third district, when she distributed about 2,000 tikoy boxes during a post-Chinese New Year celebration held in Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo, Manila.
In an interview at the sidelines of the event, Chairman Lau categorically debunked persistent rumors that Senator Imee would run for Manila mayor when egged on by reporters to comment on the rumor.
“Hindi tatakbo si Sen. Imee Marcos na Mayor ng Maynila, nag-usap kami at yun ang sinabi niya,” Lau said, adding that the lady Senator directly told him and the other barangay chairmen when they were invited to her home in San Juan in October last year.
In a July 2023 radio interview with Ali Sotto and Patty Daza’s program, ‘Ano Sa Palagay N’yo?’, Marcos admitted that she has no intention to run for Manila mayor. She denied in even stronger terms that her son Borgy Manotoc would run for mayor in the capital city.
“Of course not… ano ba? Ano ba ‘yang mga balitang ‘yan? Bakit ako gustong mag-Manila mayor eh ang hirap hirap duon? It’s so crrrrowded,” was her emphatic reply when asked if she or son Borgy will run for mayor of Manila.
Senator Imee went on to state that from what she knows, the President’s children are the ones who will run in Iloilo and Mindanao, adding that she still has one term as Senator and intends to finish it.
In February 2023, Senator Imee already made the same denial during another radio interview, where she also announced plans to run for re-election in 2025 as a senator.
“Hindi. Tatakbo ako ng re-election 2025, kase may term pa ako as senator. Ayokong maging mayor of Manila. Ang hirap-hirap ng trabahong ‘yan, napaka-crowded, sobrang daming tao sa Maynila. Ewan ko ba’t naging rumor ‘yan, kung sabagay uso kase sa Maynila na nag ru-rumor kung sino man ang pumunta doon,” she said then.
And again, during a media conference held in Tacloban City Hall on July 19, 2023, the lady senator declared her lack of intention to run for a local position during the 2025 mid-term elections.
According to the story carried by the Leyte Samar Daily Express in its July 24, 2023 issue, Senator Imee, who is serving her first term as a senator, stated that she still has many things to do in the Senate which is the reason why she prefers to seek for a reelection.
In that interview, she was quoted as having said: “May mga Marites na ako daw ay tatakbo sa Manila. Napaka-busy ko pa.Sa kabila ng pagmamahal namin sa Maynila, I will be running for re-election for 2025.”
All these statements were repeated, once again, by Senator Imee, not only when she visited Chinatown recently, but also when she ate at the Grand Café 1919 after the event she led at Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz. At that dinner, she was again joined by barangay chairmen from the city’s third district where she issued the same denial.
To top all these, we recently bumped into someone who’s in the know. The source told us that indeed, Senator Imee will be seeking reelection after which she might run for higher office. So, there!!! ***
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