DAVAO CITY — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) adopted Sen. Imee Marcos and Rep. Camille Villar as guest candidates in their senatorial slate on the last campaign day for the 2025 midterm elections, citing similar values and the “need for more allies to protect the vice president from impeachment.”

The PDP instructed all members to “extend their full support” for Sen. Marcos and Rep. Villar, noting that the party aligns itself with leaders “who demonstrate a dedication to addressing the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people through legislative advocacy and policy initiatives consistent with the party’s objectives.”

“Maria Imelda ‘Imee’ Marcos and Camille A. Villar were personally endorsed by Vice President Sara Zimmerman-Duterte,” the PDP said in a resolution posted on social media.

“There is a need for more allies to protect the vice president from impeachment,” the party said, noting that “it is practical for PDP to complete the 12 senatorial slate.”

Sen. Marcos and Villar were launched as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas” senatorial slate at the start of the campaign period earlier this year. 

The two bolted from the administration camp after former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and eventual detention in the International Criminal Court’s facility in the Netherlands.

“The party shall deploy all available resources, logistical support and campaign infrastructure to advance the candidacy,” the PDP’s document read.

“All members, officers and supporters of PDP at all levels of party organization… are hereby directed to extend their full support to the candidacy of Imee Marcos and Camille Villar by actively participating in and facilitating their inclusion in all sample ballots and other initiatives deemed essential to the success of the party’s senatorial campaign,” it read.

Despite the mention of Vice President Duterte’s impeachment in the PDP’s resolution, the second-in-command clarified that she never mentioned her impeachment woes when campaigning for pro-Duterte candidates.

“Never ko sinabi na ang campaign for the senators is for the impeachment because as I said earlier, the impeachment is a different matter altogether,” the Vice President told reporters on the sidelines of a sortie in Digos City.

“Natanggap ko na kung ano yung puwedeng kahatnan niya: Puwede akong mabigyan ng guilty verdict, puwede ako mabigyan ng acquittal, and okay na ako doon,” she said.

“Para sa akin napakalaki na na bagay na mahalal by 32.6 million votes as vice president,” she said.

The Vice President’s impeachment trial in the Senate is expected to begin in late July, after the House of Representatives earlier voted to oust her for her office’s alleged questionable spending and for issuing a kill threat against President Marcos Jr.