Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday denied allegations of a supposed term-sharing agreement between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, calling the supposed Duterte bagman Ramil Madriaga in the House impeachment proceedings a “liar.”
The denial came after Madriaga submitted an affidavit to the House Committee on Justice, claiming that a term-sharing deal existed between the two top officials.
In a press conference on April 15, Marcos rejected the allegation outright and questioned Madriaga’s credibility.
“Sinungaling ka, Madriaga. At ang lahat ng gustong marinig at pakinabangan ng mga kasinungalingan mo ay may naghihintay na kwarto sa impyerno,” Marcos said.
She emphasized that while she was not commenting directly on Madriaga’s credibility, his claims were implausible.
“Wala akong sinasabi sa credibility. Ang sinasabi ko, incredible ‘yung sinasabi niya. Kasi nandoon ako eh, alam ko. Wala naman siya roon sa mga usapin namin. Hindi naman siya kasali sa GC (group chat),” she added.
“Wala namang kasunduan term-sharing na kalokohan,” she further said.
The senator expressed disbelief over how Madriaga could have known about discussions he was not part of, particularly those that took place in 2021 before the 2022 national elections.
She recalled the events leading up to the formation of the Marcos-Duterte alliance, noting that she herself coined the term “UniTeam.” According to Marcos, no term-sharing arrangement was ever discussed during negotiations.
To support her statements, Marcos presented a series of photos, text messages, and news clippings documenting political developments during the 2021 filing of certificates of candidacy.
She recounted that the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) initially pushed for a tandem involving Senator Bong Go and former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. filed his certificate of candidacy independently, at a time when no agreement had yet been reached with Duterte’s camp.
Later, Senator Ronald dela Rosa also filed his own candidacy for president.
Sen. Marcos further claimed that the former president was not aware of early discussions between her and Sara, and that he was eventually persuaded to support the UniTeam tandem through appeals from close allies.
The senator also warned against what she described as attempts to discredit the vice president using unreliable witnesses.
“Hindi nila kayang sirain si Inday… Kaya gagamit sila ng taong wasak na ang pagkatao para subukang wasakin din ang Bise Presidente,” she said.
She then called on President Marcos Jr. to clarify the issue and refute what she described as false claims.
“Bongbong, Pangulong Marcos, alam mo ang katotohanan. Andun ka, magkasama tayo. Kung hindi mo ito ipinag-uutos, walang dahilan para hindi mo itama ang kasinungalingan na ito. Huwag mong kunsintihin ang mga politikong ginagamit ang sinungaling na si Madriaga,” she said.
Despite her strong remarks, Marcos maintained that her statements would not affect her role if impeachment proceedings against the vice president reach the Senate.
“Ang sinasabi ko lang, yung katotohanan tungkol sa mga pangyayari noong 2021 na walang kinalaman sa impeachment. Mananatili akong juror at judge at pakikinggan ko ang ebidensya nila,” she said.
She also questioned the quality of witnesses being presented.
“Ganyang klase bang mga testigo ang ihaharap sa Senado? Mahiya naman sila,” Marcos added.
