Sara Duterte endorses friend Imee Marcos

Metro Manila, Philippines - Vice President Sara Duterte has endorsed the re-election bid of her friend, Sen. Imee Marcos, who has gone the opposite way of her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The endorsement was shown in a new advertisement posted by the senator on Monday, April 14.

The two were in black and played on the word “Itim” - which stood for “Ilaban ang Tama, Itama ang Mali” [Fight for what is right. Correct the wrong.]

“Itim ngayon ang kulay ng bansa. Sa gutom at krimen, nagluluksa,” said Duterte.

[Translation: The country is black. Grieving in the face of hunger and crime.]

“Gutom na ang sikmura, gutom pa sa hustisya,” Marcos said.

[Translation: The stomach is hungry, so is the thirst for justice.]

Duterte’s endorsement came weeks after the presidential sister withdrew from the administration-backed slate “Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas”.

Before quitting her brother’s coalition, Marcos launched an investigation on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is at the International Criminal Court detention center at the Hague, Netherlands for crimes against humanity for murder.

The presidential sister is far outside the winning circle or the so-called “Magic 12” in recent pre-election surveys.

On Saturday, Sen. Robin Padilla, who leads the PDP Laban in the absence of Duterte, has also endorsed Marcos’ bid.