Sen. Imee Marcos. Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España
MANILA, Philippines—“Wala pong himala.”
Borrowing this famous line from one of the movies of superstar Nora Aunor, Senator Imee Marcos reminded Filipinos on Wednesday that the country’s problems would not disappear “in the blink of an eye” when her brother, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., assumes the presidency.
“There’s no denying that the challenges are almost overwhelming but even worse because of the overwhelming mandate, the expectations are inordinate and may not be met immediately,” the senator said in an interview at the Senate.
“Kung baga walang himala. Kahit Marcos na yan, kahit buhay pa yung tatay ko nun na napakagaling at napakasipag, palagay ko mahihirapan talaga. Kaya kinakabahan kami sa inaasahan ng tao na parang kisapmata lang mawawala na yung taas presyo ng gasolina, yung mamahaling mga pagkain,” the lady senator added.
(There’s no miracle. Even if it’s a Marcos, even if my father—who’s very smart and hardworking—is alive, I think it would be really difficult. That’s why we’re nervous about the expectations of the people that in the blink of an eye, the expensive prices of oil and food will just disappear)
“It’s a very nerve-wracking to think of expectations of the 31 million within the first 100 days. Wala pong himala sabi nga ni Nora Aunor,” she added.
Marcos Jr. was proclaimed the 17th president of the Republic after receiving more than 31 million votes in the May 2022 elections. He is set to take his oath at the historic National Museum of the Philippines in Manila on June 30.
According to the senator, the whole Marcos family, including her mom— former First Lady Imelda Marcos—would attend her brother’s inauguration.
She said they had no other discussions about the inauguration and even plans on living again in Malacañang.
In fact, she said, even the President-elect is not keen on residing in Malacañang where they lived during the time of their late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos.
“Parang yung Malacañang hindi masyadong napag-uusapan kasi kung tutuusin galing na kami dun so nagbibiruan nga kami, noon ha bago pa ang election, bago pa manalo yung kapatid ko, sinasabi nya hindi sya matitira sa Malacañang. E sabi ko tama naman kasi nung bata kami wala na syang ginawa kundi tumakas ng tumakas ng Palasyo so ewan ko hindi pa napag-uusapan,” Sen. Imee said.
(We’re not talking much about Malacañang because if you think about it, we’ve been there before. We were even joking before the elections and before my brother won, he was saying he won’t stay in Malacañang. I said he’s right because when he was a kid, he did nothing except sneak out of the Palace. So we haven’t really talked about it.”
What is more important to them now, she said, is to clear and redeem the name of the Marcoses and her father’s legacy.
“Yung Malacañang, ang yabang namin ha pero sa totoo lang nanggaling na kami dun e labis-labis na yung paninirahan namin dun,” she further said.
(We may seem boastful but the truth is we’ve been to Malacañang and we’ve stayed there long enough.)