Vice President Sara Duterte said she does not need to agree with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, over his differences with President Marcos, after a rift between the Marcos and Duterte camps became evident following separate rallies in Manila and Davao City on Sunday.
“May respeto ako sa mga pananaw at opinyon ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte pati na ng aking mga kapatid (I respect the views and opinions of former President Rodrigo Duterte and of my brothers),” said the Vice President in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“Ngunit, katulad ng posisyon ko sa maraming isyu, hindi kailangan na sumasang-ayon ako sa lahat ng mga ito. Pinalaki ako ng aking mga magulang na may pagpapahalaga sa malayang pag-iisip at pagpapasya,” she added.
(However, like my position on many issues, I do not need to agree with all of them [family’s views]. I was raised by my parents to value freedom of thought and decision-making.)
The former president accused Marcos of being a drug addict, while Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte called for the President’s resignation.
Mr. Marcos said on Tuesday that his relationship with VP Duterte remains unchanged despite the accusations lobbied by her relatives against him.
“It’s exactly the same because (Vice President Duterte) hasn’t said anything of that nature,” he said.
The President also made it clear that he will keep Duterte as his education secretary, for which the Vice President expressed her gratitude.
“We value the President’s recognition of the role of everyone at the Department of Education to push the 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda of the administration for the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines).”
The Vice President also thanked Mr. Marcos for respecting her views, especially regarding the controversial People’s Initiative, which she called an insult to the poor and a violation of their right to free choice.
Mr. Marcos and Duterte won the 2022 national elections after running as a tandem under a campaign banner called “UniTeam.” Despite recent frictions between their camps, the President insists the UniTeam “is still there.” With Charles Dantes