President Marcos’ restrained smile gave Palace reporters all the answers they needed despite his refusal to comment on Vice President Sara Duterte’s hours-spanning diatribe against him.
Mr. Marcos’ pregnant pause took place at the sidelines of the Philippine Coast Guard’s anniversary on Tuesday, when journalists tried to nudge him for a reaction to Duterte’s statement that he did not know how to be a president, among other bitter remarks.
However, the President’s usually-mild-mannered son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, took up the cudgels in defense of his family’s honor.
“Going ballistic was perhaps the self therapy she prescribed for herself. But she crossed the line, leaving the civic and civil space in which disagreements can be rationally argued,” the younger Marcos said in a statement.
“Let this be an opportune time to remind ourselves that we mustn’t take our mental health for granted and that above all else I sincerely hope she is okay,” he added.
Still, Rep. Marcos expressed hope that the Vice President finds emotional tranquility despite her apparent pent up desire to decapitate his father and threat to desecrate the remains of his long-diseased grandfather.
“As such, I still wish the Vice President well. Ultimately, her success, like the President’s, will be the success of our nation as a whole. May she find the peace of mind and mental clarity that seems to be eluding her,” Rep. Marcos said.
On Monday, Rep. Marcos’ cousin, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc expressed surprise over Duterte’s latest tirade wherein she mentioned a supposed confrontation with his mother, Senator Imee Marcos.
In a Facebook post, Manotoc said he was “shocked” over his mother’s inclusion in the Vice President’s rants, considering she “has been a loyal friend and supporter to Sara for many years.”
As this developed, Duterte said she would be willing to undergo a neuropsychiatric examination if her critics at the Lower Chamber are likewise willing to take drug tests in front of live television.
Her tit-for-tat challenge was apparently directed at group of congressmen informally called the “Young Guns,” who have sneered at her recent tirades and questioned the use of Office of the Vice President (OVP) funds.
I have no problem with that. I’m game. I will call for a neuropsychiatric exam. But the Young Guns and all congressional candidates should submit themselves to drug tests,” Duterte said in Filipino.
The Vice President said those who have cast aspersions over her mental stability simply fail to recognize that she is a politician who prioritizes authenticity over public perception.
