Imee out, Keon in

Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos won’t be swapping positions with her brother, Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., in the May 14 elections.

Instead, it will be her cousin, provincial board member Michael Keon, who will run for governor.

Bongbong announced that Imee will not seek the gubernatorial post or any position because she wants take a break from politics.

Bongbong, who filed his candidacy yesterday at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Laoag City, is eyeing Imee’s congressional seat in the second district.

Keon, who filed his candidacy along with Bongbong, is a former director of the Gintong Alay sports program in the administration of Ferdinand Marcos.

Keon’s mother, Elizabeth Marcos-Keon, served as governor of Ilocos Norte during the Marcos years.

It was reported earlier that Imee will not leave politics because she was already convinced by her mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, to run for governor in place of her brother.

A source close to the Marcoses recently told reporters that Imee’s statement made in a television interview that she was taking a break from politics was only a joke.

Imee will complete her third and last term in the House of Representatives this June, Bongbong will also complete his third term as governor of Ilocos Norte. – Jun Elias