President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (L) and Vice President Sara Duterte. | PHOTOS: Official Facebook page of Bongbong Marcos and Lyn Rillon on Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has questioned President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ability to lead and think clearly amid the Duterte supporters’ calls for his resignation.
During a gathering of supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague on Sunday (Manila time), they were chanting “Marcos resign.”
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Vice President Duterte responded with, “Kayo nagsabi niyan, hindi ako ah.”
(You were the ones who said that not me.)
She then took a jab at Marcos’ capability to lead the country.
“Ang pagiging pangulo dapat nasa tamang pag-iisip ka dahil nasa mga polisiya mo at mga desisyon mo ang kinabukasan ng kabataan at ng bansa,” she said.
(Being a president requires a sound mind because your policies and decisions shape the future of the youth and the nation.)
“Kaya’t yung pagsasabi na hindi mahalaga ang drug test sa aking kapasidad at abilidad na mamumo is tantamount to betrayal of public trust,” she added.
(So saying that a drug test is not important in assessing my capacity and ability to lead is tantamount to a betrayal of public trust.)
Vice President Duterte then asked: “Bakit ba kailangan magresign? Dahil hindi mo pinapakita sa taumbayan na maayos kang mag-isip at kaya mo ang mamuno.”
(Why should you resign? Because you are not showing the people that you can think clearly and are capable of leading.)
The Palace on Monday refuted Vice President Duterte’s claims.
“Kung pinagre-resign po nila ang pangulo, sino po ang makikinabang? Kahit sabihin po ni VP Sara, ‘Oh, kayo nagsabi niyan,’ siya pa rin po ang makikinabang,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said at a press briefing.
(If they are asking the president to resign, who will benefit from it? Even if VP Sara says, ‘Oh, you were the ones who said that,’ she will still be the one to benefit.)
“Sasabihin po ba na walang kakayanang mamuno? Papaano po natin masasabi ito kung ang pinapairal po natin ay ang batas at very transparent po tayo sa anumang mga transaksiyon?” she added.
(Can we really say that there is no capability to lead? How can we say that when we are upholding the law and being very transparent in all transactions?)
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Castro further snapped back at Vice President Duterte, saying an official who “hides things and does not show documents,” particularly about funds, cannot be a leader.
Marcos and Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner in the 2022 national elections, but their political alliance has since been severed with Duterte’s resignation from her post as education secretary last year.
Vice President Duterte is currently in The Hague for her father’s impending trial for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his administration’s drug war.
The vice president said in a previous interview that she would not return to the Philippines until she sets up a legal team for her father and until a next of kin arrives.