ILOCOS Norte’s senior board member Matthew Joseph Manotoc, son of Gov. Imee Marcos, said he saw his mother seeking a next career move in politics but stopped short of confirming if she was going to run for the Senate in 2019.
In an exclusive interview, Manotoc said “I wish her the best. I wish she does whatever she likes.”
But he refused to confirm directly if she was joining the senatorial race in 2019, following news reports she might be included in the senatorial slate of the Nacionalista Party, his grandfather’s political party when he ran for the presidency in 1965 against then incumbent President Diosdado Macapagal of the Liberal Party.
“I can’t say if she’s running. It’s always… there is a lot of speculation. Only time can tell,” he told the Manila Standard.
“[But] I think she is positioning herself to do so. But I can’t speak for her… As I have earlier said, it is always last seconds [when one finally would decide to run],” he said.
A lot of people have approached him and the family convincing his mother to run as senator.
“People say that my mother will be a sure winner,” he said.
“[Remember] In late 2000, she was preparing for a campaign [for the Senate], but she pulled out,” he said.
According to Manotoc, “maybe, this is her time. So let’s see.”
Marcos received the Outstanding Governorship in the Philippines Award for the second time in 2016.
Since launching the provincial vision of “Pasingkedan ti kinatan-ok ni Ilocano” (Together, we can make Ilocos Norte Great again!) in 2010, she has pursued the four provincial missions to attain rapid and sustained growth; inclusive growth; an enabling environment; and to uphold the Ilocano heritage and positive values.
The award was conferred by Superbrands Marketing International, Inc., an award-giving body honoring quality governance throughout the country. Recipients of the award are governors who enable inclusive growth among their constituents and demonstrate stellar public service.