Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., shown here on Oct. 16, 2018, where her sister, then-Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, filed her certificate of candidacy for senator. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Imee Marcos on Saturday defended her brother, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., against the tag #MarcosDuwag that has been spreading online because the presidential candidate refused to attend debates and interviews.
“I’m annoyed at the hashtag ‘Marcos duwag.’ My brother is not a coward. And in my opinion, he can easily answer [the debate question]. Yun pa,” Imee said, speaking in Filipino, in an interview over AM radio station DWIZ.
“On my part, [I know] my brother is sensitive. He’s kind. So he gets hurt when he’s being criticized,” she added.
Imee also noted that other candidates may gang up against her brother.
“As we all know, when you take that lead, they might gang up on my brother. So he advised not to [attend],” she said.
Marcos skipped the interviews organized by Jessica Soho, AM radio DZBB, and the KBP’s presidential forum. He also skipped the CNN Philippines interview.
However, he attended the debates organized by SMNI and the interviews hosted by Korina Sanchez, Boy Abunda, and AM radio DZRH.
RELATED STORY
Bongbong Marcos camp: It should be presidential interview, not debate