Marcos names caretakers for UAE trip; VP Duterte sidelined

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assigned Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III as caretakers of the country during his trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malacañang said Monday.

According to Press Secretary Cesar Chavez in a message to Palace reporters, Bersamin, Remulla, and Estrella will form the “caretaker committee.”

Marcos is set to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.

READ: NSC: All threats to Marcos are a matter of ‘national security’

In the past, Marcos typically designated Vice President Sara Duterte as a caretaker during his overseas trips. However, their relationship has soured since Duterte’s resignation as education secretary.

Tensions between the two escalated over the weekend after Duterte claimed she had hired someone to kill Marcos, his wife Liza, and cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were assassinated.

Malacañang described this statement as an “active threat.”