MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that Vice President Sara Duterte has not spoken to him ever since she resigned from his Cabinet.
Duterte resigned as Marcos’ education secretary in June, making it more than two months since the president and vice president spoke to each other.
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While conducting an aerial inspection on areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Enteng, Marcos was asked by reporters for his reaction to Duterte who apologized to members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) for telling them to vote for Marcos.
“No, none at all. The last time I spoke, the last time I spoke to her was when she handed me her resignation, and we haven’t spoken since,” Marcos replied.
The president also said he does not understand why Duterte apologized to the KOJC, but ultimately appeared to be unfazed by her comments.
“That is her wish, we cannot do anything about it,” Marcos said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Duterte broke away from Marcos despite being his running mate in the 2022 elections.
Leading up to her shocking resignation as education secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), Duterte’s family openly threw barbs at Marcos.
In January, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte called upon Marcos to resign from his post. The family patriarch, former president Rodrigo Duterte, pushed it further, accusing Marcos of using illegal drugs.
The Marcos family did not back down.
In a rare occasion, Marcos shot back at the accusation, saying Rodrigo was using too much fentanyl.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos also fought back in April, calling Sara a bad shot and expressing her negative feelings towards the vice president for seemingly turning on her husband after he defended her.
The Duterte family is currently subject to multiple controversies. Lawmakers from the House of Representatives, which is led by Marcos’ cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez, is probing extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs, human rights violations and Philippine offshore gaming operators.
During the House probe, Sara Duterte’s husband, Mans Carpio, and her brother, Rep. Paulo Duterte, were implicated in an investigation related to the importation of illegal drugs in 2018.