In response to Senator Bong Go’s decision to withdraw his presidential bid, Senator Imee Marcos expressed the side of the Marcoses, saying that they “are not the enemy.”

“Frankly, we were heartbroken by the almost violent reaction of the President. But we are not the enemy,” Marcos said in an interview held in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday. 

“That is very, very clear. We’ve been allies, we’ve been supporters, and it goes way back,” she added.

Marcos also said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s father was a cabinet member of the late President Ferdinand Marcos during the first term of his presidency.

“The President’s father was a distinguished member of my dad’s first Cabinet and, really, we have been very, very grateful to the President for the many, many blessings he has brought upon not only Ilocos Norte but the entire Philippines,” Marcos stated. 

“On our part, we hope that any resentment or shock caused by the team-up with Mayor Sara would subside,” she added. 

Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced their tandem for the 2022 elections on November 17.

Marcos, then left a message for candidates who are uncertain about running for the elections.

“For us, any candidate who withdraws or is having second thoughts about running shouldn’t worry. Bearing a grudge and staying angry is not in our nature. It’s really not the Marcos style. We just don’t do that,” Marcos stated.

Meanwhile, Go is yet to formalize his withdrawal in a physical appearance before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).