President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will not live in Malacañang, where he grew up during his father’s two-decade term, once he takes over as Chief Executive on July 1, according to his sister Sen. Imee Marcos.
“Before my brother won the (May 9) elections, he already told me he wouldn’t live in Malacañang. I said that’s fine because when we were kids he frequently sneaked out of the Palace,” the senator said in a chance interview Wednesday.
“What is important now is we lift our name, and for my father’s legacy to be revisited,” said Imee, the incoming President’s elder sister.
“As for Malacañang… We already lived there. That’s enough,” she added of the presidential palace. Marcos Jr.’s camp last month said it remained to be seen whether he and his family would live at the Bahay Pangarap (House of Dreams) in Malacañang Park in Manila.
“BBM” was only eight years old—and Imee ten years old—when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was elected President in 1965.
Sen. Marcos said the entire family would attend her brother’s inauguration on June 30 at the National Museum.
“For sure, my mom will surely attend, no matter how many stairs there would be,” she said of the Marcos matriarch, 92-year-old Imelda.
Meanwhile, in his last 15 days as the country’s chief executive, President Rodrigo R. Duterte will remain busy performing his duties, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Duterte, while fulfilling his job as the country’s leader, will be spending most of his time flying back and forth from the Palace to his official residence in Davao City, said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan.
“He’s shuttling between official duties, as well as going back to his hometown in Davao. And we’ll see more of that in the final 15 days before the inauguration this coming June 30,” Ablan said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ ‘Politics as Usual’ that aired on Tuesday night.
When he became President, Duterte opted to divide his time between Manila and Davao. The former Davao City mayor usually stays in Manila on weekdays or his working days and spends the weekend with his family in his hometown.
Meanwhile, Ablan said Duterte has no scheduled meeting yet with his successor Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
He said he is not aware if Duterte is set to meet with Marcos before June 30, the day when the President-elect takes oath as the country’s 17th chief executive.
“I’m not privy to any other meeting other than the previous meeting so it remains to be seen if they’re going to meet before the inauguration,” Ablan said.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on May 31 said Duterte is already looking forward to his retirement.
Duterte was being considered the drug czar of the incoming Marcos administration but rejected the proposal, saying “it is not my time.”
On May 30, Duterte presided over his “last and full” meeting with his Cabinet.
However, Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag assured the public that Duterte and the outgoing department secretaries would continue working until June 30.
Matibag said Duterte may still hold a Cabinet meeting in his last days in office if need be.