Manila: rift between the Marcoses and the Dutertes deepens

The former and current presidents have accused each other of being addicted to drugs, and Duterte's younger son, Sebastian, called on Marcos to resign during a rally yesterday. His eyes are set on the midterm elections. In the meantime, Marcos has arrived in Vietnam to discuss anti-Chinese maritime cooperation.

Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - There is a dispute between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the former head of government, Rodrigo Duterte, whose daughter, Sara, currently holds the position of vice-president and minister of education: the two families exchanged criticisms and jokes regarding the so-called "war on drugs", implemented by the Duterte administration to combat drug trafficking (with killings and arbitrary arrests).

Since his arrival in power in 2022, the policy has been revised by President Marcos, who this morning arrived in Vietnam to promote maritime cooperation between the two countries against Beijing's interference in the South China Sea, another important change in direction of the new presidency compared to the previous one which was, on the contrary, much more pro-Chinese.

After Duterte yesterday defined Marcos as a "drug addict" (allegations also denied by the Philippine anti-drug agency), the latter responded to journalists by commenting: "I believe it is fentanyl, the most powerful painkiller you can buy .

It is highly addictive and has very serious side effects,” he said, explaining that the former president “has been taking the drug for a long time now. I hope his doctors take better care of him." In 2016, at the beginning of his mandate, Duterte - whose violent anti-drug policies have killed thousands of innocent people - admitted to having used fentanyl, but denied being addicted to it.

To make matters worse against Marcos, the youngest son of the Duterte family, Sebastian, mayor of Davao (the same position held first by his father and then by his sister), who, addressing a group of his supporters, also added , openly asked for the president's resignation: "If you do not show love and aspiration for the country, it is better for you to resign", said Duterte "junior", arguing that in the city, with the relaxation of his father's campaign, there is There was a new increase in crime.

At the same time, in the capital Manila, thousands of people were gathering to take part in a demonstration chaired by the president, who launched the "Bagong Pilipinas" (New Philippines) campaign "to accompany the nation towards change and development".

Sara Duterte also took part in the event before flying to Davao - the third most populous city in the Philippines - and joining her family instead.

It is now clear that the union between the two clans has fallen apart and - with the mid-term elections around the corner next year - the fracture seems irreparable. But it does not just concern a different political vision, but rather the maintenance of power: relations between families have in fact begun to deteriorate after Marcos' proposal to amend the Constitution, drawn up in 1987 after his father - dictator and namesake of the current president - he was ousted from power and driven into exile.

Marcos Jr. proposed the change saying he wanted to increase foreign investments, but - according to the Dutertes and also some experts - in this way it would be easy to modify the legislation that prohibits the president from governing for more than one term.

In 2022, Rodrigo Duterte had in fact his daughter Sara as a candidate because he was unable to run for a new six-year term and, according to some, it seems that he wants to nominate his son Sebastian for the 2028 elections.

Meanwhile Marcos today arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he will discuss agreements on cooperation between coast guards and on the supply of rice, of which the Philippines is a large importer. Before leaving the country, the Philippine president had said that with this visit he hoped to elevate bilateral relations and "inaugurate a new era of friendship and cooperation".

Although the two South-East Asian nations both claim overlapping portions of the sea, they find themselves united towards China, which for years has crossed the borders of the exclusive economic zones of various countries in the region.