Says administration running ‘in a regular way’
Former President Rodrigo Duterte said he has not seen abuses or favoritism under the Marcos administration, noting that he has no criticism of governance policies at this point.
“Marcos doesn’t have abuses. For as long as he maintains this attitude, it’s okay,” Duterte said during Friday night’s assembly of PDP-Laban in Davao City.
“I think that I can live with him. I can bend with him…For as long as the government is running in a regular way, we have no problem,” he added.
Duterte said he has not reached a tipping point where he would criticize Mr. Marcos.
“I don’t have any qualms against Marcos for me to speak out and say, ‘Mr. President, I do not agree with you. Mr. President, you are wrong. And Mr. President, you stop because that will not benefit the country.’ I have not reached that point,” the former President said.
His daughter, however, recently severed ties with the President following her resignation from the Marcos Cabinet as Education Secretary.
Vice President Sara Duterte, amid a House hearing on alleged misuse by her office of millions of pesos in funds for socio-economic programs, vowed to “never again” team up with the Marcoses following their falling out.
“We were not friends to begin with. We just knew each other because we became running mates. Prior to that we were not talking to each other,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Duterte patriarch expressed confidence in the strength of the PDP-Laban in the 2025 midterm elections in the face of a possible showdown with the administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
“All the parties are there (at Bagong Pilipinas) and all those parties will dissolve at the end of Marcos’ term. While we at PDP, we have already been tested. That’s the truth,” he said.
PDP-Laban on Friday officially nominated Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa as well as actor Philip Salvador as its senatorial bets for the 2025 polls.
Go and Dela Rosa are both up for reelection.
