In what could be her way of signaling a rift between herself and the powerful Romualdez clan, Vice President Sara Duterte started her speech during the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) "Pasidungog" event expressing her love for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., but refusing to acknowledge his “middle initial.”
From left) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte at the launch of Pier 88 in Liloan, Cebu on May 27, 2023. (Yummie Dingding/PPA pool)
Romualdez is the President’s middle name as mom Imelda is the aunt of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin.
While she thanked Marcos for the latter’s support to the OVP, Duterte added fuel to rumors of a rift in the UniTeam.
“Hindi ko na banggitin ang middle initial niya… Mahal ko si apo BBM (I will not mention his middle initial… I love apo BBM),” she said on Monday, June 5.
“Alam mo, apo, alam mo ‘yan na mahal kita (You know, apo, you know that I love you),” the official added.
Apo is an Ilokano honorific term used to address an older person.
Duterte’s refusal to mention Marcos’ middle initial could be a sign of tension between her and the House Speaker, who was reportedly behind the ouster of former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the senior deputy speaker position in the lower house after she purportedly tried to architect a coup attempt.
Arroyo is Duterte’s mentor and one of the creators of the Marcos-Duterte tandem that ultimately got the highest electoral votes and catapulted both officials to the country’s top posts.
In her speech, Duterte spoke about how she and Marcos grew close during the 2022 campaign season and how they laughed about “private jokes.”
She shared how they developed their friendship, with her even advising the chief executive about women and power.
“And noong malapit na matapos ang kampanya, I told him, sabi ko, ‘Apo, when you become president sabi ko, mag-ingat ka, dahil there are certain segments of the female population that are attracted to power and men in power’ (And when the campaign was almost over, I told him, ‘Apo, when you become president, be careful because there are certain segments of the female population that are attracted to power and men in power’),” Duterte said.
“I told sabi him na mag-ingat ka kasi madadagdan ang mga anak mo (I told him to be careful because you might add to your kids)… So, that’s how we know develop our friendship. And I said I want you all to know mahal na mahal ko si apong BBM (I love apong BBM so much),” she added.
The Pasidungog event was organized by her office to pay tribute to its partners for the implementation of its projects.
Pasidungog is a Visayan term that means to give recognition and honor.