Latest news with #ImeeMarcos
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Imee to skip SONA 2025, says other Duterte allies may also not attend
Senator Imee Marcos said Monday that she will not be attending the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of her brother, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. At a press conference right after the opening of the first regular session of the 20th Congress, Imee said that she will prioritize helping people who were affected by the recent storms. 'Hindi na ako pupunta dahil naka-schedule pa rin ang walang kamatayang nutribun, nutribus, at iba pang pagtulong sa ating mga nasalanta ng bagyo," said the senator. (I will not go because the distribution of nutribuns and deployment of nutribuns are ongoing, there's a scheduled distribution of aid to our typhoon victims.) "Pupunta ako sa ilang mga school building at schoolhousekung saan ang mga bata ay nagiintay ng pagkain, ng school supplies na nasira,' she added. (I will go to some school buildings and schoolhouses where children are waiting for food and replacement of school supplies that have been damaged.) Senator Marcos, meanwhile, clarified that Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also skipping this year's SONA, had nothing to do with her decision. 'Ay hindi pa kami naguusap tungkol do'n. I think hindi pa siya umuuwi,' she said. (We haven't talked about that. I think she hasn't arrived in the Philippines yet.) However, she said that the so-called "Duterte bloc" have discussed the possibility that they will not attend this year's presidential address. According to her, Senators Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, Bong Go, and Robin Padilla might also not attend the SONA. But Imee said that she will still listen to the SONA of her brother, hoping that he will veer away from motherhood statements and instead mention a list of what should be done in the next years to come. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
18-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Imee Marcos eyes new Omnibus Election Code
Voters fill out their ballots at Silang Central Elementary School in Silang, Cavite on Monday, May 12, 2025, for the midterm national and local elections. SANDRA AGUINALDO/ GMA Integrated News Senator Imee Marcos has filed a measure seeking to revise and recodify all the election statutes, paving the way for the New Omnibus Election Code of 2025. In the explanatory note of Senate Bill 425, Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people's participation, said certain provisions of the 1985 Omnibus Election Code are "outrightly ill-suited for modern times." "The [OEC] is well more than three decades old. Since the inception of the OEC, there have been many significant changes in the manner by which elections are conducted," the senator said. "Likewise, regulations and limitations under the OEC have since been proven inadequate to realistically ensure a more level-playing field for candidates," she added. In 2023, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) finished a 964-page draft of proposed amendments to the Omnibus Election Code, according to poll chairman George Garcia. He said the proposed revisions include provisions on the overhaul of the party-list system and changes in campaign finance. The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission, which sent a delegation to monitor Eleksyon 2025, said in its report that nearly half of the provisions of the Omnibus Election Code, including those for campaign finance and election offenses, are already "outdated." Those provisions, the report said, were already superseded by the 1987 Constitution and by numerous subsequent laws and regulations. BSKE term of office Under Marcos' bill, the Comelec shall have exclusive charge of enforcement and administration of all laws and regulations to the conduct of election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum, and recall for the purpose of ensuring free orderly and honest elections. The measure also provides for the conduct of a hybrid election system—a combination of the automated election system and the manual election system—to ensure transparency and credibility of the electoral processes. This hybrid election system shall be applicable to the May 2028 elections and all national, local, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) polls thereafter. The bill also stated that the term of office of all elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) officials shall be four years. The BSKE elections will be held on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter. No elective barangay official shall also serve for more than three consecutive terms in the same positions, while no elective SK official shall serve for more than one term in the same post. Party-list, substitution The bill also classified the party-list system into: a) political parties or coalition of political parties; and b) sectoral parties or organizations. Each of these classifications shall have 50% of the seats allocated for the party-list. Each registered party, organization, or coalition shall submit to the Comelec a list of names of not less than five nominees from which party-list representatives shall be chosen in case it obtains the required number of votes, together with the certificates of nomination and acceptance of all the nominees in such list. Substitution shall also be allowed for any nominee who dies, becomes physically incapacitated, or has been disqualified. "No substitution shall be allowed for nominees who withdrew their acceptance to the nomination. In the event the list of nominees of a party-list group is exhausted because of the withdrawal of all its nominees, such party, organization, or coalition shall be deemed to have withdrawn its manifestation of intent to participate in the elections," the bill noted. Only a person belonging to and nominated by the same political party may file a certificate of candidacy to replace any official candidate who died, became incapacitated, or was disqualified after the last day of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs). In all cases of substitution after the period for filing of COCs, the substitute candidate must have the same surname as the candidate being substituted for. Cha-cha The proposed measure also states that a petition for an initiative on the 1987 Constitution must have at least 12% of the total number of registered voters as signatories, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least 3% of the registered voters. Initiative on the Constitution may also be exercised only once every five years. So far in the 20th Congress, only Senator Robin Padilla has filed a resolution seeking to revise the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines through a constitutional convention. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
17-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Palace on Imee bill vs. handing over Pinoys to int'l court: Good luck
Malacanang on Thursday wished Sen. Imee Marcos luck on her filing a measure seeking a ban on arresting or detaining any person in the Philippines and then transferring them to the custody of an international tribunal without a warrant from a local court. ''Trabaho naman po ng isang senador na gumawa ng makabuluhan na batas para sa taumbayan, sa ikauunlad ng bansa, hindi para sa pansariling kapakanan,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said. (It is the job of a senator to craft laws that are relevant to the people, for the progress of the country, and not for selfish interests.) In the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 557, also dubbed the President Rodrigo R. Duterte Act, Imee Marcos called the arrest and turn over of the former president to the International Criminal Court 'abuses by the authorities,' which may also happen to others. "What took place on that fateful day was an extraordinary rendition—the transfer without due process of a detainee to the custody of a foreign jurisdiction," Imee Marcos said. Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC, a move that has since been criticized as unlawful by the senator. The sister of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has said there were glaring violations in Duterte's arrest. Duterte is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during the drug war. –NB, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Imee Marcos Files ‘PRRD Act' to Ban Warrantless Transfer of Filipinos to Foreign Courts
Senator Imee Marcos has filed a bill that seeks to prohibit the arrest or detention of any person in the Philippines for transfer to a foreign or international court without a valid warrant issued by a Philippine court. The proposed Senate Bill No. 557, dubbed the 'President Rodrigo R. Duterte Act,' cites the arrest and handover of former President Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a 'form of abuse' that could also happen to others. 'What happened was an extraordinary rendition — a transfer without due process to a foreign jurisdiction,' Marcos said in her explanatory note. She emphasized the need to legally bar such actions, calling them unconstitutional and grounds for punishment under the proposed law. Under the measure, the following acts would be banned: Turning over or detaining any individual for an international body without a local court order; Assisting in investigations or arrests on behalf of foreign courts without proper authorization from the DOJ and DILG; Transferring persons to a foreign state or tribunal without their consent or an applicable treaty. The bill also seeks to: Freeze assets of persons charged under the act; Bar foreign agents from entering the country to carry out unauthorized probes or arrests; Allow affected individuals to pursue legal remedies; Require the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the return of citizens subjected to 'extraordinary rendition.' Marcos' proposal comes amid Duterte's detention in The Hague over ICC charges linked to drug war killings. He was arrested in the Philippines on March 11 by local authorities acting on an ICC warrant.
GMA Network
16-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Imee seeks ban on transfer of Pinoys to foreign jurisdiction sans local warrant
Senator Imee Marcos has filed a measure seeking the prohibition of arresting or detaining any person in the Philippine territory and transferring them to an international court without a warrant of arrest issued by a local court. In the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 557, also known as the President Rodrigo R. Duterte Act, Marcos called the arrest and turn over of the former president to the International Criminal Court 'abuses by the authorities' which may also happen to others. 'What took place on that fateful day was an extraordinary rendition—the transfer without due process of a detainee to the custody of a foreign jurisdiction,' Marcos said. 'Thus, it is necessary to make it exceedingly clear—if it is not yet clear already—that arresting an individual for the purpose of turning him or her over to a foreign jurisdiction without an order and a warrant of arrest issued by a Philippine court is against the Constitution and punishable under the law,' she added. The prohibited acts under the proposed bill include the transferring or causing the transfer of any person found within the territory of the Philippines to an international court, tribunal, organization, or State whose jurisdiction or authority to investigate, prosecute, detain, imprison, or execute such person is not expressly and unequivocally recognized by the Philippines through a treaty or international agreement from which the Philippines has not withdrawn at the time of such transfer; or without the written and voluntary consent of the person transferred or an order issued by a competent Philippine court allowing such transfer. The bill also seeks to ban the arresting or detaining or causing the arrest or detention of any person in the Philippines for the purpose of transferring him or her to any international court, tribunal, organization, or State without an arrest warrant issued by a competent Philippine court. Investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting any local on behalf of, in favor of, or upon the orders of any international court or the like; or without a permit issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will also be prohibited. The proposed measure also provides that all transactions in all property and interests in property of any person who is formally charged in the proper Philippine court with any of the offenses penalized under the Act are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in, if such property and interests in property are in the country or are within the possession or control of a Filipino citizen or resident, unless the court determines specific circumstances. It will also allow any person to file an ex parte petition in the proper Philippine court to deny the issuance of or cancel any visa of an alien, if there is substantial evidence that such alien visited or will visit the country to conduct any investigation, inquiry, arrest, detention, or transfer persons on behalf of any foreign court or State whose jurisdiction is not recognized by the Philippines through a treaty. As a recourse, the bill will also grant all persons who have been subjected to extraordinary rendition, whether prior to or after the enactment of the Act, shall be entitled to the appropriate remedies in the Philippine court. 'The Department of Foreign Affairs shall exhaust every diplomatic channel to ensure that Filipino citizens who are victims of extraordinary rendition will be repatriated to the Philippines as soon as possible and that judgments of the Philippine court will be given effect,' the measure read. Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC. He is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during the drug war. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
