Manila, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos firmly denied circulating news enunciating that she initiated the attempted Senate coup, seeking change in leadership amongst the Upper Chamber of the Congress.
Last week, Senate President Tito Sotto claimed that there have been plans and moves attempting to overthrow him from the leadership, and that the majority was able to block the coup attempt.
Sotto said that there have not been enough votes to oust him, affirming that the majority floor remains intact in securing Senate leadership.
He further disclosed the behind the scenes of the coup attempt, stating that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s report on the flood control scandal probe may be one of the triggers of the ousting.
The said report recommended the filing of charges against some senators over alleged involvement in the corruption scandal—all coming from the minority bloc.
Another event that may have triggered the coup attempt, Sotto says, is the removal of Marcos as Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ chairperson.
In an official statement over the weekends, Marcos debunked the allegations of leading and planning the coup attempt against Sotto’s leadership, aiming to have Senator Loren Legarda to take the seat.
Marcos argued that the minority can attest that she was the last to learn about the plan, hence joined late in this matter.
In talks of chairmanship, Marcos expressed gratitude to Sotto who let her keep the post despite it being traditionally held by the majority.
However, being a critic of her brother, president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s run administration herself, the senator clarified that she does not excpect anything in regards to the Senate’s internal politics.
She meanwhile said that the coup talks are loud inside the Senate given that the Chamber is being targeted with the flood control and infra projects investigations, and that senators could no longer rely with the institution to protect or defend them.
Hence, Marcos says that she expects a common statement from the minority to clarify this matter and hopes that she will no longer be blamed for being the coup instigator.—Mia Layaguin, Eurotv News