Marcos clarifies no rift between him VP Duterte: 'Uniteam is still there'
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed that the “Uniteam” with Vice President Sara Duterte is “still there and working” despite the row between the current chief of staff and the Education secretary's father and brother.
The president made the statement during an interview with the Malacañang Press Corps on Tuesday, Jan. 30 amid his state visit to Vietnam.
Despite their recent clash of clans, Marcos said his relationship with VP Sara has not changed.
"If you remember, ‘Uniteam’ is not just one party or two parties or three parties. It's the unification of all the political forces in the Philippines, to come together, for the good of the country,” he said.
“It's still there. It is still vital and it is still working and we will continue it," he continued.
This comes a few days after her brother, Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte called him “lazy” and dared him to resign.
“Mr. President, if you do not have love and aspirations for the country, resign,” he said during the prayer rally held on Sunday, Jan. 28 in Davao City.
Baste also expressed his disappointment over Marcos allowing the International Criminal Court to enter the Philippines to probe former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody drug war. The Davao Mayor reminded the president that it was his father who allowed the late Ferdinand E. Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016.
Sara later said that Baste's words against Marcos were out of "brotherly love."
Meanwhile, ex-pres. Duterte, the father of VP Sara, threw his own tirades at Marcos Jr., saying he is a “drug addict” and was included on the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
"Noong ako po ay mayor [ng Davao], pinakitaan ako ng evidence ng PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). Doon sa listahan, nandoon pangalan mo," Duterte claimed.
"Ayaw kong sabihin 'yan kasi magkaibigan tayo. Kung hindi magkaibigan, magkakilala. Eh ikaw eh, pumapasok kayo ng alanganin. Mr. President, baka susunod ka sa dinaanan ng tatay mo. diyan ako takot. Ayaw kong mangyari sa iyo 'yan,” he continued.
He added, “Kayong mga military alam ninyo ‘yan, lalo na ‘yong mga nasa Malacañang, alam ninyo. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, alam ninyo. May drug addict tayo na presidente! P***** i***g ‘yan!”
However, PDEA has since denied the claim, saying Marcos was never on its watch list on Jan. 29.
After hits at him, Marcos took a jab at his predecessor, claiming that his statements might be because of Fentanyl—an opioid drug used as a pain reliever.
"I think it's the fentanyl. Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects. [Duterte] has been taking the drug for a very long time," the president claimed.
"When was the last time he told us he was taking fentanyl, mga five, six years ago? Mga five, six years, it has to affect, kaya nagkakaganyan. I hope his doctors take better care than him than this [na] 'di pinababayaan ang ganitong problema," he added.
Cracks in the Uniteam
The tirades earlier in the week were just the latest show of cracks in the alliance between Marcos and the Dutertes. Their "UniTeam" first had its weak spots when Marcos appointed Sara as Education secretary instead of her sought-after National Defense post.
The row continued to manifest as House Speaker Martin Romualdez spearheaded efforts to strip the VP office and DepEd of its confidential funds. The House of Representatives, mostly made up of Marcos supporters, has also pushed for the suspension of pro-Duterte network SMNI after a host accused Marcos' cousin of spending P1.8 billion on 2023 travels.