Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ flamboyant former president, on Tuesday accused his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of seeking dictatorial power, adding to an already bitter feud.
President Duterte also threatened independence for his home island of Mindanao, which would take about a third of the Philippines’ territory.
President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos raises hands with Senate President Vicente Sotto III (left) and House Speaker Alan Velasco during a proclamation at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Junior (center). (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
President Duterte accused Marcos of trying to remove constitutional presidential term limits to maintain power indefinitely. “This is a mechanism to perpetuate power,” he says.
Marcos said this month that he believes the 1987 constitution should be amended. mention The problem lies not in presidential term limits but in “economic provisions,” particularly restrictions on foreign investment and the structure of the Philippine Congress.
The constitutional debate was so heated that at one point Marcos’ sister and cousin got into a shouting match with the senator and speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. Adding to the family fun, Marcos’ vice president is Rodrigo’s daughter Sara Duterte.
Sara Duterte, daughter of the outgoing populist president, signs documents during the vice presidential oath in her hometown in Davao City, southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
President Duterte gave a populist speech with lace with obscene content In it, he threatened to subject Marcos Jr. to the same fate as his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos. overthrown After the elder Marcos ended his 20-year rule, the presidency was limited to one six-year term.
former president Said Mr. Marcos was forced to speak out against his successor because he was endangering the Philippines’ security by abandoning Mr. Duterte’s friendly ties with China and moving closer to the United States instead.
Duterte too accused Marcos admitted to being a “drug addict” and asked where he got his cocaine from. Mr. Marcos responded by suggesting that Mr. Duterte admitted that his erratic behavior may have been caused by taking fentanyl to suppress pain from a motorcycle accident.
said Sebastian, President Duterte’s son and Davao City mayor. speech Last week, they called on Marcos to resign, ostensibly saying he was “lazy” and lacked “love and desire” for his country. Marcos supporters countered that the Duterte family was trying to oust Marcos from power in a “blatant display of self-interest” in order to return to power.
Mr. Duterte too reportedly It is disturbing that representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating excessive violence and killings during President Duterte’s crackdown on drug traffickers, reportedly visited Manila in December. That’s why President Duterte accused Marcos of being on the government’s list of “drug addicts,” a charge denied by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Monday.
Regarding President Duterte’s “desirability of separating Mindanao from the Republic of the Philippines” put it On Tuesday night, a lawmaker named Pantaleon Álvarez is preparing a campaign to gather signatures for a secession petition.duterte accused The central government under the Marcos administration has not paid enough attention to the issues in Mindanao.
President Duterte was a little vague about how Mindanao would move towards secession, but claimed that It would not be a “rebellion” or “riot.” He also denied rumors that he would run for president of the independent Republic of Mindanao out of retirement.
