It is “pointless” to ask President Marcos to resign because he will never relinquish his power even if there are calls to do so, Vice President Sara Duterte said on Tuesday, Oct. 14, pointing out how his father and namesake has remained in power for two decades.

Speaking during a press briefing in Zamboanga City, the official explained that she has never asked the President and her former political ally to resign, and instead is simply asking him to “do his job.”

“Never ask him to resign. That is a pointless call. Hindi mag-re-resign yan. Nakita niyo ba yung tatay? Ilang taon yon? Ilang years yung senior (He will never resign. Did you see his father? How many years were those? How many years was senior in power)? 20 years? That's a pointless call,” she stressed.

“Tingnan niyo ang DNA niya na ayaw niyan umalis ng pwesto (Look at his DNA. He will not step down from power). So, Marcos resign is a pointless call. That is why ako (for me), I am asking him to do his job, of which of course, alam na natin lahat ay hindi niya ginagawa (we all know that he’s not doing),” she added.

Instead, Duterte pointed out that what she has been demanding from the President is for him to take a drug test because it was a challenge thrown by Marcos’ former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez.

“And that is a hanging open challenge na hanggang ngayon ayaw niyang gawin na sinasabi ko (that until now he doesn’t want to do and I’m saying), that is a betrayal of public trust…Pag sinabi ng bayan magpa-drug test ka, hindi ka pwedeng magsabi ng hindi (When the people tell you to undergo a drug test, you cannot say no). And therefore, that is betrayal of public trust,” she said.

The Vice President furthered that Marcos’ signature on the controversial 2025 national budget is a “culpable violation of the Constitution.”

Duterte also scoffed at the reported destabilization plot against Marcos, saying that such reports are coming from the administration itself.

“Yung destabilization, nanggagaling lang naman yan sa administrasyon. Nagsasalita lang yung mga tao at nai-insecure lang o natatakot lang yung administration sa lakas ng boses ng mga tao. Pero sa totoo lang, walang nagpaplano ng destabilization (The word destabilization is coming from the administration. The people are just voicing out [their opinions] and the administration is getting afraid or insecure because their voices are getting louder. But in truth, no one is planning a destabilization),” she said.

In fact, the Vice President pointed to the Makabayan bloc in Congress as the group that’s probably seriously meeting over a destabilization plan because they want to take over the government.

“So kung meron man grupo, na nagmi-meeting para pabagsakin ang administration, ang gobyerno, Makabayan yun. Wala nang iba (If there ever is a group that’s meeting to bring down the government, that’s Makabayan. No one else),” she stressed.

Duterte also denied that Cavite 4th District Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga Jr., who joined a protest outside Forbes Park Village in Makati City last Sunday to call for the President’s resignation amid corruption allegations, is her pawn.

“Hindi ko pakawala si Kiko Barzaga (Kiko Barzaga is not my pawn),” she said. “No, I do not control Congressman Kiko Bargaza. He is his own person. He has his own principles and he has his own free will and there is nothing wrong at all with what he is doing.”

She explained that all Filipinos have a right to voice out their grievances against the government because “we are covered by the freedom of speech and expression.”

“Unfortunately, meron tayong administrasyon na hindi matanggap na merong mga taong na number one, hindi natatakot at number two, hindi nabibili ng pera (we have an administration that cannot accept that there are people who, number one, do not cower, and number two, cannot be bought by money),” she added.