Marcos-Duterte: From Allies to Foes?

“Never again.”

This was the brief response from Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte when asked in a chance interview whether she would team up with the Marcoses again.

Vice President Duterte was the running mate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 presidential elections and was his ally.

During the interview, Duterte said she has not spoken to the President since she resigned as Secretary of the Department of Education in July this year. Her resignation from the administration's cabinet has further strained the already tense relationship between the two leaders.

The Vice President also emphasised that she and President Marcos were never friends to begin with.

“Hindi kami magkaibigan, unang una. Nagkakilala lang kami dahil naging running mate kami. So bago pa man kami naging running mates hindi kami nag-uusap. Nagkausap lang kami during campaign at dahil sa trabaho noon. But ngayon hindi kami nagkausap. Ang kaibigan ko talaga si Senator Imee Marcos. Kilala niya ako since 2012,” said Duterte.

(First of all, we are not friends. We only got to know each other when we became running mates. Before that, we never spoke. We only started talking during the campaign because it was part of our job. But now, we don’t speak. My friend is Senator Imee Marcos. I have known her since 2012.)

Senator Imee Marcos is the eldest sister of President Marcos.

Duterte, however, refused to say whether she regrets teaming up with the President for the 2022 elections, stating that a sit-down interview is necessary for her to explain everything.

The chance interview occurred after Vice President Duterte attended a congressional hearing for the annual budget deliberation of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The Vice President accused members of Congress of using the budget hearing to spotlight her office’s alleged misuse of public funds, claiming that it is a prelude to an impeachment attempt against her.

Although Congress is a separate branch of government, its leader, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, is related to the President as his first cousin and a close ally in Philippine politics.

Romualdez’s plans for the 2028 national elections remain unclear, but Duterte appears to be the frontrunner.

President Marcos, however, denies that politics are involved in the congressional hearing on the OVP's proposed 2025 national budget.

“This is something that every government agency has to go through. It’s a hearing. There’s no politics involved. We do this every year. We do it with every department. The process is well-established. It has nothing to do with politics,” said President Marcos.

VISITING THE RIVAL

Amid the tension between the two top leaders, Vice President Duterte visited President Marcos’ staunch rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo, in Naga City on 20 September to celebrate a fiesta in the city.

President Marcos lost to Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential race. He filed an electoral protest with the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, convinced that he was a victim of electoral fraud. However, the tribunal ruled in favour of Robredo.

Robredo and Marcos faced off again in 2022 in the national elections, this time vying for the presidency. Marcos won, returning to Malacañang Palace as the 17th president of the Philippines, a position once held by his dictator father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Robredo’s spokesperson, Atty. Barry Gutierrez, said VP Duterte’s visit to Robredo’s stronghold came as a surprise.

GutierIez emphasised that, while he personally does not like VP Duterte’s politics, the former vice president had to accommodate the incumbent Vice President as a courtesy.

Robredo has announced her candidacy for mayor of Naga City next year.

Although Robredo’s camp insisted that the two leaders did not discuss politics, it is worth noting that politicians seeking higher national office need the support of local officials, who can influence their constituents in choosing candidates.

ROOT OF THE RIFT

The political alliance between President Marcos and Vice President Duterte was formed despite opposition from VP Sara’s father, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, also known as PRRD.

Before the 2022 presidential elections, PRRD described Marcos as a weak leader. At the time, Vice President Duterte, then Davao City Mayor, was the frontrunner for the presidency, as indicated by various surveys.

However, after talks led by Duterte’s ally, former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, VP Sara withdrew from the presidential race and agreed to be Marcos’ running mate.

They branded themselves as the UniTeam, an electoral alliance promising unity despite differences. However, this promise has since eroded.

Amid rumours of a coup plot against Marcos’ cousin and ally, House Speaker Romualdez, Rep. Arroyo was demoted from senior deputy speaker to deputy speaker. Arroyo, however, denied involvement in the alleged coup.

Following these developments, VP Duterte posted a cryptic message on social media: “Do not be tambaloslos.”

Tambaloslos is a Visayan mythical creature known for its large mouth and greed.

It was unclear whether VP Sara was referring to Romualdez, but shortly afterward, she announced her resignation from the Lakas-CMD, the political party of both Romualdez and Arroyo.

This marked the beginning of the ongoing war of words between members of Congress and the Vice President.

During plenary deliberations, congressional allies of the President uncovered questionable confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President, leading to the blocking of requested confidential funds for 2024.

At the time, the President’s allies were gathering signatures in support of charter change.

As a sign of defiance, VP Sara’s younger brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, called for Marcos’ resignation, accusing the President of being lazy and lacking compassion.

Last March, VP Sara attended a rally against President Marcos. While she did not make a statement during the rally, her presence was telling.

Her father, former President Duterte, even called Marcos “bangag,” a slang term for drug user.

A month later, Marcos’ wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, admitted that she was hurt by VP Sara’s actions. She also questioned the Vice President’s attendance at the rally.

The First Lady even snubbed VP Sara during the departure ceremony for President Marcos’ state visit to Vietnam.

Despite the evident rift, President Marcos has downplayed the situation.

Then, in July this year, VP Sara resigned as a cabinet member of President Marcos.

That was the last time the two highest leaders of the land spoke to each other.

-Asia Media Centre

*Banner image: Marcos-Duterte 2022