President Marcos on friendship with VP Sara: Maybe I was deceived

VIENTIANE — President Marcos admitted yesterday that he may have been deceived, when aked by Philippine journalists here to comment on Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that they were never friends.

“That’s a good question. I don’t know anymore. I’m not quite sure I understand. I’m a little dismayed to hear that she doesn’t think that we are friends. I always thought that we were. But maybe I was deceived,” the President said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

The alliance between Marcos and Duterte won them the election in 2022.

Asked why he did not appoint Duterte as caretaker of the government when he left for the ASEAN Summit – as he had previously done in past trips – Marcos said Duterte is no longer part of the administration and being a government caretaker is not part of her job anymore.

“She’s still in government, but she left the administration. So, she’s not part of the administration anymore. So, she’s not part of… the day-to-day running of what we are doing. So, it would be unfair to ask her – to impose that duty on her since that’s not part of her work now,” Marcos said.

Pressed if that could be taken as a complete falling out, or a sign of distrust, the President said “No, it’s a very practical reason actually. That’s how I came to that conclusion.”

He said members of the executive committee of caretakers are all members of the Cabinet.

“If you noticed that the membership of the executive committee… are all members of the Cabinet, up to now. So, that would seem to be the obvious way to handle it,” he said.

The committee of caretakers is composed of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. Bersamin serves as the committee chair.

Duterte was always one of the caretakers when Marcos was on state, official or working visits to other countries.

In an interview in September, Duterte said she was never friends with Marcos.

“We didn’t really talk with each other. We were not friends. We just got acquainted when we became running mates,” the Vice President said, adding she has close ties with Marcos’ sister Sen. Imee Marcos.

In an interview in April, First Lady Liza Marcos admitted she was not in good terms with the Vice President after her family accused her husband of being a drug addict.