Duterte admits being indebted to Imee Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday admitted that he is indebted to Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.

In his first live interview on Philippine television after assuming the presidency, Duterte said that he has a debt of gratitude to at least three persons including the Ilocos Norte governor.

"One of them is Imee, I promised in the debates I would bury her father in the Libingan ng mga Bayani," Duterte said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

The president earlier claimed that the eldest child of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos was among the politicians who funded his presidential campaign.

In this Dec. 12, 2016 file photo, President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos on the sidelines of The Outstanding Filipino 2016 awarding ceremony at the Heroes Hall of Malacañan Palace. PPD/King Rodriguez

However, he did not declare the younger Marcos as a campaign donor in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

The Ilocos Norte governor has claimed that the president was only joking when he said that she was among the financiers of his campaign.

"Ang totoo wala naman donasyon and there's no sinister x-deal behind the curtain somewhere. It's absolutely untrue and I'd like to disabuse that," the younger Marcos said in an interview with ANC last November.

Duterte has ordered the burial of the late strongman at the Libingan ng mga Bayani which has been met by protests from different sectors.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the president did not commit grave abuse of discretion in ordering a hero's burial for Marcos Sr. The long-dead president was buried in the national cemetery on November 18 in a move met with nationwide protests.