There is no rift between President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte despite former president Rodrigo Duterte's tirades against his successor.
This was clarified by Marcos in an interview with the Malacañang Press Corps on the sidelines of his state visit to Vietnam on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
Despite the wild attacks from his predecessor over the weekend, Marcos said his relationship with the Vice President, who was his running mate in the 2022 elections, remains the same.
“Well, it’s exactly the same because she has – of that nature. And, wala naman siyang sinasabi na ganyang klase. So, hindi naman nagbabago (She is not saying anything about that. So, it is still the same,” Marcos said.
The President also emphasized that UniTeam, the coalition that propelled Marcos and Vice President Duterte's bid to power, is still intact and remains vibrant.
“I believe so because if you remember ‘Uniteam’ is not just one party of two parties or three parties. It’s the unification of all political, hopefully all political forces in the Philippines to come together for the good country,” Marcos said.
“And that is still there. It is still vibrant. It is still working, and we will continue,” he added.
Former president Duterte accused Marcos of being a "drug addict" during a rally in Davao on Saturday night, the same night Marcos launched the "Bagong Pilipinas" concept in Manila.
Marcos then hit back saying, it must be the fentanyl talking.
“I think it’s the fentanyl. Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects, and PRRD has been taking the drug for a very long time now,” Marcos said before he left for Vietnam for a two-day state visit.