Imee's prayer: Keep the President away from 'devils'

Senator Imee Marcos on Saturday prayed for the protection of her brother, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., and that he be kept away from the "devils."

"Haplusin nawa ninyo ang puso ng aking kapatid, ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas; buksan nyo ang kanyang mga mata at bigyan nyo sya ng kaliwanagan ng pag-iisip—gisingin nyo po siya at ilayo sa mga demonyong nakapaligid," Senator Marcos said in her prayer at the Jesus is Lord (JIL) event in Norzagaray, Bulacan. 

(May you caress the heart of my brother, the President of the Philippines. Open his eyes and give him clarity of thought. Wake him up and keep him away from the devils.)

“Ipaalala niyo sa kaniya na huwag ipaubaya ang bayan sa mga sakim at uhaw sa atensyon,” she added. 

(Remind him not to leave the fate of the country to those who are greedy and hungry for attention.)

Senator Marcos' prayer comes amid what Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri described as a "constitutional crisis" because of the push for Charter change through a people's initiative allegedly being pushed by the House leadership. 

Senator Marcos on Friday accused the office of her cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, of being behind the people's initiative.

In an interview with reporters, Senator Marcos was asked about Romualdez' denial on her allegation that he dangled P20 million to every district as a reward for those who will sign off the people's initiative. 

“Sagot ko lang, kalma lang muna. Inhale, exhale, dahil sa Martes pa ang hearing. Kalma lang muna, wag kayong masyadong nahi-high blood, relax lang. Martes pa,” she said.

(My response is to stay calm for now. Inhale, exhale, because the hearing is still on Tuesday. Relax, don’t get so worked up and relax. It’s still on Tuesday.) 

“Hindi ko siya inaaway, medyo high blood sila. Ako 'to e, nagbigay lang ako ng abiso at pasya kung anong dapat gawin,” she clarified. 

(I am not fighting with him, they’re just overreacting. This is how I am, and I am just giving advice and decision on what we should do.) 

Romualdez challenged his cousin on Friday to prove her allegations.

“Let her [P20 million per district] prove it. I don’t know where this is all coming from. I respect her as my cousin, as a senator. She can give me a call, text me anytime but if she prefers to do it before the media, that is her prerogative," Romualdez said.

“I believe it has never been the intention of the Philippine Constitution to arrogate unto a few senators the people power, particularly the people’s power to stop any discussion on Charter amendments," he added.

Senators Joel Villanueva, Grace Poe, and Pia Cayetano were also present at the prayer gathering.

Cayetano urged the proponents of the signature drive to disclose their real agenda.

“Eh di magsabi yung ibang tao ng totoo, ano ba ang gusto nilang gawin? Ano bang balak nilang gawin sa Constitution kasi unti (unting) lumalabas eh, ah term limit pala, no election pala, may mga ganun pala silang pinaplano. Sabihin nilang deretso para it is our job, hearing and have debates, hindi yung magpapapirma ng pilitan," said Cayetano in a ''24 Oras Weekend'' report by JP Soriano.

(They should tell the truth. What are they hoping to achieve? What changes in the Constitution would they like to see since it is becoming increasingly clear that this initiative seeks to touch the term limits or suggest a situation in which there is no election? It is our job to hold hearings and debates, not to coerce people into signing papers, so they should be honest about their plans.)

The Senate earlier this week issued a manifesto condemning the ongoing people's initiative.

It seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution by allowing all members of Congress to jointly vote on proposed constitutional amendments in a constituent assembly.

Senators warned that voting jointly in a constituent assembly would not allow the senators to "cast any meaningful vote against the 316 members of the House of Representatives." —VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News