By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Short of saying that the Philippines shouldn’t always toe the line of the United States, maverick Senator Imee Marcos has warned of a possible fallout from Arab nations as a result of the Philippines’ decision to abstain from a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for a truce in Gaza.

The combative senator from Ilocos Norte noted the cozy ties between the United States and the administration of her brother President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. could also affect the country’s negotiations in the conflict.

“Our alliance with the United States and its foreign policies in the ongoing conflict complicate our own,” Senator Marcos averred.

In a statement on Monday, November 27, Marcos pointed out that the Philippines’ move to abstain from a UNGA resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “has not gone unnoticed” among Arab nations.

Maharlika NuMedia gathered from the ABC News Report on Nov. 24 that: “Among American voters 18 to 34 years old, 52% of respondents in the Nov. 16 Quinnipiac poll said their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians, while 29 percent said they were sympathetic to the Israelis. The numbers indicated a sharp reversal from October when 41% said the Israelis had their sympathies and 26% said they were sympathetic to the Palestinians.”

Reports from various sources said at least 14,800 Palestinians — mostly women and children —  in Gaza have been killed, per the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.

In contrast, Israel’s death toll from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,200, according to Israeli officials. They claimed the majority of deaths were civilians.

Civilians are being killed in Gaza more quickly “than in even the deadliest moments of U.S.-led attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, which were themselves widely criticized by human rights groups,” experts told the New York Times.

To recall, Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Antonio Lagdameo explained before the UNGA’s Oct. 27 emergency special session that the Philippines abstained from the vote because the resolution failed to condemn Hamas as responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed four Filipinos.

The UNGA resolution was adopted after 120 countries voted in its favor, with 14 against, and 45 abstentions, including the Philippines.

Sen. Marcos, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed apprehension that the Philippine abstention could affect future negotiations on the release of Filipino hostages.

“But Filipino interests come first and must be upheld,” she maintained.

(ai/mnm)