Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Marcos-Manotoc has denied allegations that she has already spent ₱1 billion for her reelection campaign ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. The claim, made by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), was based on data from Nielsen Ad Intel, which tracked her spending across television, radio, and print ads from January to September 2024. According to the report, Marcos-Manotoc ran over 1,145 TV ads in September alone, amounting to ₱303 million.

Despite her vehement denial, she did not disclose the actual amount she has spent so far. Instead, she attempted to deflect the issue by saying she would rather use her money to provide food for Filipinos than for political advertisements. However, the numbers don’t lie—political ad spending has ballooned, with total expenditures before the October 2024 filing of candidacies reaching over ₱4 billion, with Marcos-Manotoc and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar topping the spending list.

Billionaire Politics While Seniors Are Left Behind
The staggering figures in political ad spending only highlight a bitter truth in Philippine politics: money dictates elections. Whether we admit it or not, the wealth of a candidate and their family has a direct impact on their chances of winning, making elections an exclusive playground for the rich and powerful. From barangay officials to the presidency, there exists an unspoken tariff—a financial benchmark that determines a candidate’s competitiveness.

Yet while billions are being spent to secure political power, millions of senior citizens in the country are left behind.

A perfect example of this gross misallocation of resources is the Universal Social Pension bill. This proposed measure, which aims to provide a ₱1,000 monthly grant to all Filipino seniors aged 60 and above, has already passed the House of Representatives. However, in the Senate, the bill remains stagnant—sitting on Imee Marcos’ table with no action in sight.

Every year, the government fails to increase the amount allocated for senior citizens, despite skyrocketing inflation. A ₱1,000 monthly pension—which is barely enough for medicine, let alone food and other basic needs—has not even been implemented yet. And if Marcos-Manotoc continues to ignore this bill, it will need to be refiled in the next Congress, setting everything back to zero.

A Government That Has Abandoned Its Elders
It's painful to see how our elderly citizens are treated as an afterthought. While politicians throw billions into political campaigns, the very people who spent their youth building this nation are left to fend for themselves with scraps.

The Marcos and Romualdez families—with their enormous wealth and political dominance—could easily champion policies that would uplift the elderly. But instead, their priorities are clear: securing power first, public welfare second.

Perhaps karma is inevitable. When a government repeatedly turns its back on its most vulnerable citizens, the consequences will eventually catch up. The Marcoses and Romualdezes may have wealth and influence today, but history has a way of balancing the scales. And the Filipino people, especially the seniors they continue to neglect, will not forget.(Tambuli Ng Bayan- Ronnie Est