Sara: Imee qualified to be senator, college grad or not

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos is qualified to be senator whether she has a college degree or not, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said Tuesday.

Duterte, the President's daughter and the campaign manager for administration coalition Hugpong ng Pagbabago, made the comment after both the University of the Philippines and Ivy League university Princeton said that they have no records of Marcos graduating.

Marcos has claimed to have graduated cum laude from UP College of Law, and from Princeton with honors. She has dodged questions about her educational background since the universities' statements.

“Sabi niya, maglalabas siya ng official statement about the questions on her educational background. Sinabi ko rin naman sa kanya na in any event, whatever it is…the law, our constitution only requires for the President, Vice President and the Senators [among other elected officials] to be able to read and write,” Duterte said during Hugpong’s campaign stop in Antipolo city.

“She can do very good, given her track record as governor,” Duterte added.

However, opposition bets from the Otso Diretso coalition have stressed that it is not the lack of college degree that is the problem, but Marcos's apparent lying about it.

"Ang issue ay ano ba ang totoo, at huwag na tayong magsinungaling," lawyer and senatorial candidate Chel Diokno said last month.

Marcos, who was elected Ilocos Norte governor in 2010 and served as Ilocos Norte representative from 1998 to 2007, is one of the Hugpong's 13 Senate bets.

During campaign stops, she has vowed to legislate measures which will suspend the collection of 12-percent Value Added Tax and maintain the price of rice at P27 per kilo.

Waiting for a statement

Duterte added that she did not press Marcos for more details about her school records.

“No.  I just asked her what is her statement and she said that she'd come up with the statement,” she said.

Marcos has also appeared in a television ad with the Davao City mayor, who described her as someone who always looks for solutions in addressing the country's problems. — BM, GMA News