In a press conference Friday, Vice President Sara Duterte revealed her sentiments about President Marcos’ “toxic” leadership, but said she did not regret teaming up with him during the 2022 elections.
Duterte admitted her political fallout with Marcos, which she blamed largely on the people surrounding him. She went as far as questioning his competence as president because he is allegedly dragging the nation to hell.
“It is not my fault that we are on this road to hell. The one in power is not capable of being President. Is that my fault?” the vice president told reporters partly in Tagalog. She said she decided to leave his Cabinet because she “could not take it anymore.”
When asked if she ever regretted sliding down to vice president, instead of running for president herself back in the day, Duterte said ‘no.’ She initially planned on running for mayor of Davao City in 2022, but was convinced to form the UniTeam with Marcos.
“I don’t regret running for vice president because imagine if I’m the mayor of Davao City today, they could easily have me suspended… Now, they cannot do that. They can drag me to hell,” Duterte said, adding that the last phrase is now the tagline of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Duterte addressed questions from the press amid the continuing probe of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on the confidential funds she requested during previous budget seasons.
She did not hold back in accusing the Marcos administration of exploiting her to secure an electoral victory against former Vice President Leni Robredo, who had been his strongest political rival since 2016.
Duterte’s latest criticisms came one day after Marcos and Robredo met and exchanged pleasantries during a brief encounter at a public event in Sorsogon City.
