The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Monday denied the claim of former President Rodrigo Duterte that President Marcos was on a list of politicians linked to illegal drugs, which he was shown when he was still mayor of Davao City.
In a sign of the rapidly deteriorating relations between the two camps, the President said Duterte’s accusation could be the result of fentanyl, a deadly drug that Duterte admitted he had taken in the past.
“I think it might be the fentanyl–it is highly addictive and it has serious side effects,” the President said in a chance interview before flying to Vietnam for a state visit.
“I think that’s why it happens,” Mr. Marcos added in Filipino. “I hope his doctors take better care of these emerging issues and don’t neglect them.”
In its statement, PDEA said that since its inception in 2002, President Marcos was never in its National Drug Information System (NDIS), a database of drug suspects.
Duterte was Davao City mayor from 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016.
“It is worthwhile to note that, when the former President took over in 2016, his administration came out with a list, which was then initially called the narco-list, sometimes referred to as the Duterte list, and upon continuing validation and revalidation, it became the Inter-Agency Drug Information Database or IDID,” PDEA said.
“The name of President Marcos is also not in the said list,” it added.
During a prayer rally in Davao on Sunday, Duterte said the country’s president is a drug addict and part of the drug watch list.
“If Bongbong Marcos was high before, now he’s the president, he’s still high,” Duterte said in Filipino.
“You in the military, you know that, especially those in Malacañang.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, you know we have a president who is addicted to drugs.”
Duterte further warned President Marcos that he might suffer the same fate as his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was ousted during the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986.
Amid the attacks from the Duterte camp, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution expressing its strong and unqualified support for the leadership of President Marcos.
Meanwhile, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said he was stumped by Duterte’s opposition to Charter change, since his entire presidential campaign had been based on shifting the country to a parliamentary form of government.
Romualdez also advised Duterte to exercise caution in his statements, saying he himself may have much to answer for during his term.
Also on Monday, Senator JV Ejercito said he was worried about the negative impact that Duterte’s accusation would have, particularly among international investors.
“Who will not be afraid of making investments here amid the political squabbles?” he said.
“This is becoming an all-out war. We still have a goal for the country as a whole,” said Ejercito as he appealed for a stop to the heated exchanges between senators and members of the House, and the President and ex-President.
“Let us put a stop to this,” Ejercito said.
But lawmakers showed no sign of letting up as they tore into Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the former President’s youngest son, for calling on President Marcos to resign.
In a speech at the Hakbang ug Maisug Leaders Forum in Davao City on Sunday, Mayor Duterte asked President Marcos to step down from office, accusing him of being lazy and lacking in compassion.
Deputy Speaker David Suarez said the mayor’s remarks were disrespectful and completely baseless.
Suarez noted that in the past two years, the Filipino people have seen the performance of President Marcos, particularly in managing and revitalizing the economy as the country emerged from the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, Suarez said the President has shown compassion in moving to provide assistance to victims of disasters.
“We have seen his commitment to the Filipino people,” Suarez said. He added that the House remains unwavering in its support for President Marcos.
Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. said the call for the President to resign was not supported by facts.
He added: “All I can say is that we have to respect the Office of the President. And it puzzles us why there is a call for the President to resign – that is baseless. Our President is very hard working.”
Rival rallies
Thousands of supporters of President Marcos and the former President gathered for rival rallies on Sunday, putting on a public display of a deepening rift between the powerful clans.
In the nearly two years since Mr. Marcos swept to victory with the help of his vice presidential running mate Sara Duterte — the former president’s daughter — their so-called “Unity Team” has fractured.
After Mr. Marcos launched his “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) campaign to develop the country and make the government more accountable, his predecessor accused him of being a “drug addict” and of trying to change the Constitution to prolong his term in office.
Sara Duterte briefly appeared at President Marcos’ rally in Manila, saying the Education department that she also heads was “one with all the other government agencies in pushing for a New Philippines” – before flying to her family’s stronghold of Davao city for the rival event.
Relations between the families have deteriorated as they seek to shore up their respective support bases and secure key positions ahead of next year’s mid-term elections and the 2028 presidential race, which Sara Duterte is widely expected to contest.
In the latest rift, Mr. Marcos has backed a campaign for the 1987 Constitution, introduced after his father and namesake was ousted from power, to be changed to allow in more foreign investment — something the Dutertes have publicly opposed.
Critics warn the effort could pave the way for Mr. Marcos to seek another six-year term, which is currently prohibited.
That would potentially put him on a collision course with Sara Duterte for the top job.
At the Davao rally organized by opponents of constitutional change, the Duterte patriarch warned Mr. Marcos that “you may suffer your father’s fate” and called on the police and military to “protect the Constitution.”
Earlier, Duterte’s youngest son Sebastian openly dared Mr. Marcos to step down.
“If you don’t show love and aspiration for the country, better resign,” Sebastian told supporters, blaming Mr. Marcos for the drug and communist insurgency problems in the region.
President Marcos has said the Constitution’s political provisions, including term limits for public officials, should be tackled later.
An ever-shifting coalition of powerful families has long ruled the Philippines, holding onto power for generations.
Left-wing political party Akbayan branded the rallies as a “dynastic war among ruling elites” that did not serve the interests of regular Filipinos.
Police estimated 400,000 people were at the Manila rally, many of them government workers, while more than 40,000 were at the Davao event.
“This would be the most public and deliberate way of letting the people know that the Unity Team is no more,” University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Franco said. With AFP