The feud between Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has escalated dramatically, with Duterte threatening to dig up the remains of the president’s late dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, and throw them into the West Philippine Sea, reported the Guardian.
The fiery threat, delivered at a two-hour press conference on Friday, marks a new low in the bitter rivalry between the two powerful political families ahead of the midterm elections next year and the 2028 presidential race.
Duterte’s harsh remarks come after months of rising tensions between the two former allies. Although the duo ran on a joint ticket in the 2022 elections and secured a landslide victory, their relationship soured after Sara Duterte resigned from Marcos’s cabinet in June. At the press conference, Duterte criticised Marcos’s leadership, accusing his administration of lacking clear policies on inflation and food security, and claimed that the country was on a “road to hell.”
She also said she had once imagined cutting off Marcos’s head, a moment that made her realise their relationship had become toxic.
The tensions reached a boiling point after Marcos publicly accused Duterte of deception. In response, Duterte attacked the president's handling of a school graduation incident, where Marcos rejected a student's request for his watch, humiliating the child. Exasperated by his behaviour, Duterte revealed she was unable to intervene but instead visualised beheading Marcos.
Adding to the friction, Sara Duterte accused Marcos of failing to fulfil promises made during their 2022 campaign, including an agreement that she would be appointed defence chief and have access to an aircraft to travel between Manila and her home in Davao City.
According to Duterte, Marcos’s wife, Lisa Araneta-Marcos, was prioritised for aircraft use, a decision she criticised, saying, “I don’t know what her work is, for the nation.”
Tensions between the two families have also deepened due to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal “war on drugs.” The Marcos administration signalled potential cooperation with the ICC, a move that could lead to the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, which has further soured relations.
With midterm elections looming and both dynasties eyeing the 2028 presidential race, the stakes are high. The once-strong alliance between the Marcos and Duterte families, which helped propel them to power, now lies in tatters.
The fiery threat, delivered at a two-hour press conference on Friday, marks a new low in the bitter rivalry between the two powerful political families ahead of the midterm elections next year and the 2028 presidential race.
Duterte’s harsh remarks come after months of rising tensions between the two former allies. Although the duo ran on a joint ticket in the 2022 elections and secured a landslide victory, their relationship soured after Sara Duterte resigned from Marcos’s cabinet in June. At the press conference, Duterte criticised Marcos’s leadership, accusing his administration of lacking clear policies on inflation and food security, and claimed that the country was on a “road to hell.”
She also said she had once imagined cutting off Marcos’s head, a moment that made her realise their relationship had become toxic.
The tensions reached a boiling point after Marcos publicly accused Duterte of deception. In response, Duterte attacked the president's handling of a school graduation incident, where Marcos rejected a student's request for his watch, humiliating the child. Exasperated by his behaviour, Duterte revealed she was unable to intervene but instead visualised beheading Marcos.
Adding to the friction, Sara Duterte accused Marcos of failing to fulfil promises made during their 2022 campaign, including an agreement that she would be appointed defence chief and have access to an aircraft to travel between Manila and her home in Davao City.
According to Duterte, Marcos’s wife, Lisa Araneta-Marcos, was prioritised for aircraft use, a decision she criticised, saying, “I don’t know what her work is, for the nation.”
Tensions between the two families have also deepened due to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal “war on drugs.” The Marcos administration signalled potential cooperation with the ICC, a move that could lead to the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, which has further soured relations.
With midterm elections looming and both dynasties eyeing the 2028 presidential race, the stakes are high. The once-strong alliance between the Marcos and Duterte families, which helped propel them to power, now lies in tatters.
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