Palace to Imee Marcos: ‘Is your ambition becoming clear?’

A Palace official on Friday questioned the meaning behind Sen. Imee Marcos’s remarks about “running” for president in connection with the rehabilitation of the San Juanico Bridge. Screengrab from RTVM/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — A Palace official on Friday questioned the meaning behind Sen. Imee Marcos’s remarks about “running” for president in connection with the rehabilitation of the San Juanico Bridge.

During a briefing in Malacañang, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro asked whether Marcos’s recent statements reflected a deeper political ambition.

“Lumiliwanag po ba ang ambisyon ni Sen. Imee Marcos?” Castro asked, not specifying what “ambition” of the senator she was referring to.

(Is Sen. Imee Marcos’s ambition becoming clear?)

READ: House spox asks Imee: What have you done for San Juanico bridge

She noted that Marcos, who has been a senator since 2019, should be familiar with the budget allocations under the Duterte administration.

“Well, anyway, naging senador po si mahal na Senadora Imee Marcos since 2019 at malamang po ay alam naman po niya ang naging budget ng dating administrasyon patungkol po dito sa San Juanico bridge at apat na taon pong nagkaroon—kung hindi ako nagkakamali, apat na taon since 2018 up to 2022 ang administrasyong Duterte pero hindi nga po nagkaroon ng rehabilitation,” she continued.

(Well, anyway, the esteemed Sen. Imee Marcos has been a senator since 2019, and she is most likely aware of the previous administration’s budget concerning the San Juanico bridge. If I’m not mistaken, the Duterte administration spanned four years—from 2018 to 2022—but no rehabilitation was carried out during that time.)

Castro added that it was only during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that a full inspection was conducted on the bridge, revealing the true extent of its structural damage.

“At dapat nga pong magpasalamat po tayo sa panahon po ngayon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. dahil nang nagkaroon ng inspection, doon lamang po nakita na ang lawak na po ng danyos at dapat na kailanganing i-repair sa San Juanico Bridge,” she said.

(And we should be thankful that under the administration of President Marcos Jr., an inspection was conducted, which was when the extent of the damage to the San Juanico bridge was finally discovered, showing that it urgently needed repairs.)

The issue arose after Sen. Marcos questioned the supposedly low budget allocated for the maintenance of the 1970s-era infrastructure.

READ: Marcos declares state of calamity in Eastern Visayas

This was countered by House spokesperson Princess Abante, who asked what the senator had done for the 52-year-old bridge.

“Ang San Juanico bridge ay binuo sa administrasyon ng aking ama na simbolismo ng katatagan at pagtutulay ng kalinga ng pamahalaan papunta sa mga mamamayan. Ngayon, pinagdududahan ang tibay at serbisyo nito, pero ang hinahanapan ng [solusyon] ay ako pa rin,” the senator said, in response to Abante.

(The San Juanico bridge was built during my father’s administration as a symbol of strength and the government’s care reaching the people. Now, its durability and service are being questioned—but I’m still the one being asked to find the solution.)

“Bakit ako na senador ang hinahanapan mo ng aksyon, yang amo mo diyan nakatira, bakit hindi mo tanungin? Lahat kayo sa akin nakatingin—sana ako na lang nag Presidente,” she added.

(Why are you asking me, a senator, to take action? Your boss lives there—why don’t you ask him? All of you are looking at me—maybe I should’ve just run for President.)

A three-ton axle load limit has been enforced on the San Juanico bridge since May 8 due to structural issues. The P900-million rehabilitation project is expected to take two years.

The Office of Civil Defense has established the San Juanico Task Group to manage security, safety, and operational coordination while repairs are being done.

A state of calamity was also declared over the Eastern Visayas to ensure that the repair and rehabilitation of the San Juanico bridge will be hastened and so that measures to mitigate the impact on residents of Samar and Leyte will be available./coa