Sen. Imee Marcos formalizes her reelection bid after filing her certificate of candidacy on Oct. 2, 2024. Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATE) — Sen. Imee Marcos on Wednesday filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for her reelection bid next year.

Marcos was joined by her mother former First Lady Imelda Marcos and sons Borgy and Michael Manotoc.

The senator, sister of the President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., clarified that she was running under Nacionalista Party but opted out of the administration-backed alliance that put her in their slate.

Asked if this would make her campaign more difficult, Marcos said she would just work harder to reach more Filipinos.

"Kayod lang, kayod marino pa rin, ganyan naman ang ginagawa ko," she said.

She added in jest that she had always been "pasaway", but said she expected her brother to continue to support her.

Asked about a possible endorsement from Vice President Sara Duterte, she said: “Hindi ko alam. Ang hinihingi ko ay endorsement ng lahat." 

She said her mother was excited for her reelection and was at the church as early as 7 a.m. to pray for her. 

If reelected, she said she wanted to prioritize bills that would help senior citizens and PWDs. 

Marcos noted that she was the 19th senatorial candidate to file her COC.

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