PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed the authenticity of circulating text messages (with screenshots) attributed to him where he opposed any impeachment moves against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Well, it was a private communication but it has leaked. Yes, because that is my opinion—this is not important. This doesn’t even make a difference to a single Filipino life, so why waste time on this?” President Marcos said.
The message was: “In the larger scheme of things, Sara is unimportant. So please do not file impeachment complaints.”
Marcos further pointed out that an impeachment complaint would only “tie down” both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“It will just take up all our time and for what? For nothing. For nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life,” said Marcos.
Marcos even described the ongoing political stride between his administration and the Dutertes: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a storm in a teacup.”
Before Marco’s statement, Vice President Sara Duterte believes there is no longer any reason to reconcile with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
This statement followed her realization that the attacks on the administration were not only aimed at her but also at her allies.
She further added that the opposing camp is continuously working to oust her from the vice presidency by attempting to tarnish her image.
As a result, she officially declared that the relationship between the two, who were once allies during the 2022 national elections under the political banner “Uniteam,” is now broken.
The Vice President stated that her feud with President Marcos had reached a “point of no return” after police filed an assault complaint against her and some of her staff.
On Wednesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed the complaint amid an uproar over remarks made by Duterte, where she publicly threatened Marcos, stating that he would be assassinated if she were targeted and killed in a plot.
Her comments prompted the president to respond that he would “fight back.”
The police accused Duterte and her staff of “direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion” during the transfer of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, to a government-run hospital from the House of Representatives detention center last weekend.
The PNP has filed a case against Duterte, her chief security aide, Col. Raymond Dante Lachica, and two others before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office in Metro Manila.
In response, the Vice President stated that the allegations against her “don’t hold any water.”
“I believe we have reached the point of no return, and it is clear they are going after me,” Duterte said during a press conference in southern Zamboanga City, where she holds a satellite office when asked about the possibility of reconciling with Marcos.
“They want to remove me from my post,” the vice president further said.
Screenshot photo of Rhoda Grace B Saron
