What’s in it for Senator Imee?

Honesty is the best policy as they say and no one has been more blatantly honest than Senator Imee Marcos. At the very least, if one would take a moment and look at it from her point of view. As chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, the good senator is one to watch as geopolitical issues are beyond the Philippines but also affect the nation – and deeply.

In a very recent interview, Senator Imee relayed many concerns affecting our country today and she also pointed out how foreign-assisted projects, which are the large projects that we so desperately need, are sadly in the red. All this and more the senator expressed in an interview fresh out of the new year, considering Filipinos are still trying to digest the senator’s shocking revelations during a rally prior to the Christmas break.

I saw the senator over the holidays and I was rather impressed by the way she handled my straightforward approach to the questions that many may not necessarily have the guts to ask her face-to-face. After a few weeks of chewing on the casual lunch experience we had (it goes without saying that I was one of those who were shocked by her statements during the Iglesia ni Cristo rally), I have come to realize that Senator Imee Marcos is doing a punishing job to keep transparency not only in her own office but also throughout the government institutions – in, out and around it. Simply speaking, one can say that the senator has a Herculean undertaking to ensure that the integrity of our government establishments are guaranteed for the sake of the people.

Personally, I still can’t understand why the senator has been on my mind all throughout the holidays; however, I have eventually come to the conclusion that perhaps it is because what really churns inside of me is the extreme difficulty of one person to make a stand and basically do it alone. While I’m not sure of the senator’s public support, I think that this is rather inconsequential to her. At most it was the energy that I sensed from the senator over lunch.

Imee Marcos seems to be strictly focused on doing what she believes is fundamentally right and, painful as it may be, she is not quitting the game any time soon. In fact, she hasn’t slowed down on the issues – all of which continue to be scrutinized by her fresh into 2026. This is exactly what the people want and it isn’t necessarily easy to do.

Obviously I am speaking about the nation’s “sneaky” budget – as Senator Imee – says and people are wondering about where this will all end up, especially when, as we all know, every president (Senator Imee’s brother included), wants to leave a legacy.

Curiously, it seems like the senator’s timeline for “upcoming” events is in full swing – arrests, impeachments and House leadership change. Her timeline is as mystifying as the draconian timeline she mentioned in an interview and it is certainly the talk of the town.

Honesty truly is a difficult virtue to develop and it is a deep-seated trait found at the very core of every human being. Telling the truth is a moral choice where, going back to the principal foundations of the cognitive domain (one of my favorite discussions), avoiding it just makes matters worse, causing cognitive dissonance due to the mental discomfort that happens when our actions do not align with our values.

This, my friends, is the real meaning of “mahiya naman kayo” because your conscience cannot take the pressure of lies and betrayal. The cost of telling the truth can lead to a lot of strife; however, people are desperate for the truth and they are seeing the grueling process required for truth telling.

Why people are in the habit of talking about the 2028 elections is beyond me and it seems to be the same for Imee Marcos. At this point, it’s just about accountabilities and this is all the senator wants to assure. Honesty might be old fashioned and when feeling besieged, doing the right thing is even harder than usual.

Maybe this year and in the future, we can all expect this from Imee Marcos, who forms part of the largest minority group in the chamber’s history. I suppose one can say this is what’s in it for her. If so, I look forward to 2026 for all the truth-seeking Filipino people.