Vice President Sara Duterte has echoed her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in alleging that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is a drug addict.
“I agree with fractured governance. I agree with the assumption that he’s a drug addict because he continuously refuses to do a drug test,” Duterte said during an ambush interview at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.
Her comments followed the elder Duterte’s remarks during a press conference on Monday, where he described Marcos as a drug addict and questioned the military’s support for the president.
“Hanggang kailan kayo mag suporta ng drug addict na presidente?” the former president asked.
(Until when will you support a president who is a drug addict?)
Previous Allegations
This is not the first time the Duterte patriarch has accused Marcos of drug use. In January, he publicly challenged the president to take a drug test to prove otherwise, even calling him “bangag” (high on illegal drugs).
Despite these allegations, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has denied that Marcos is on its drug watch list.
Marcos has dismissed the claims, previously attributing Duterte’s comments to the effects of fentanyl, a pain reliever the former president admitted to using during his term. “It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects,” Marcos said of the drug.
Strained Relationship
Marcos and Sara Duterte were running mates in the 2022 elections but have since grown distant. Their relationship soured after Marcos’ allies in the House of Representatives initiated an investigation into the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd), which she also heads.
Sara Duterte has denied any misuse of funds and called the investigation a precursor to her potential impeachment.
The Palace has yet to comment on the Vice President’s latest remarks.