PARTNERS TO RIVALS: Marcos, Duterte Rift Escalates Amid Accusations

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The chasm between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, once heralded as the “unity” tandem of the 2022 national elections, has widened with new developments on Monday, November 25.

Marcos released a video statement expressing alarm over Duterte’s weekend remarks during a live meeting, in which she allegedly threatened to have him, First Lady Marie Louise Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez assassinated if she were killed.

“The statements we have heard these past few days are worrisome. There is the disrespectful curses and threats to plot killing some of us. If it was that easy to plan on killing a President, how about the ordinary citizens?” Marcos said in his three-minute address.

He condemned such “criminal insinuations” and vowed action to uphold the rule of law, emphasizing that his role as the country’s leader requires him to protect the Constitution and ensure adherence to laws.

Marcos also criticized Duterte’s Office of the Vice President (OVP) for evading questions regarding its discretionary spending raised during congressional hearings in the Senate and House of Representatives.

He alluded to Operation Tokhang, the controversial anti-drug campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which has faced scrutiny in Congress over alleged extrajudicial killings by state and non-state actors.

“This drama could have been avoided if legitimate questions in the Senate and House were answered truthfully. There was no need for ‘Tokhang’-like tactics. Fulfilling the oath to serve the public by telling the truth would have ended this issue. Instead, it was derailed with talk of snacks,” Marcos added.

DOJ and NBI Intervene

In a press briefing at Malacañang, Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres announced plans to pursue legal action against Duterte.

A subpoena will be issued to the vice president through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which has been tasked with identifying and investigating individuals allegedly involved in the assassination threats.

“[W]e are tapping our law enforcement agents to investigate the identity and whereabouts of this person or persons who may be plotting against the President. […] We will use all the resources of government [and] all law enforcement agents to find out the identity of this assassin, and the legal consequences arising out of this criminal plot will be dealt with the full force of the law,” Andres said.

“The investigation of the government on this is urgent. It is important to know what were the steps taken in availing the services of an assassin who has evil plans for our president, and the NBI will take all steps to get to their identity,” he added.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago confirmed that his agency is verifying the authenticity of Duterte’s statements, which were broadcast via Zoom and widely circulated on social media.

Facebook has preserved the broadcast clip for the investigation.

“Our next step now is to determine whatever action, criminal or whatever, that we will take against the vice president [and] especially on the person whom she said she commanded to kill President Marcos, the First Lady, and the Speaker,” Santiago said.

Duterte Responds

On the sidelines of a House of Representatives hearing into the OVP and Department of Education budgets, Duterte said she had not read Marcos’ statement but asserted that she would not let the matter slide.

“Do not expect fairness from this government. Really, truly, that is the reason why I’m pussyfooting with court cases. We do not expect fairness. Imagine, where do you see a person admitted to the hospital, then going to work, discharged, in less than an hour? Where is the justice there?” Duterte said. 

A Fractured Partnership

The latest developments highlight the growing divide between Marcos and Duterte, who ran under the “UniTeam” banner in 2022 with a platform centered on unity and reconciliation.

Marcos won the presidency with over 31 million votes, around 59 percent of the total, while Duterte garnered more than 32 million votes, or 61 percent, in her successful bid for the vice presidency.

This public feud adds to the string of controversies that have marked the apparent disintegration of their once-unified alliance.