DAVAO CITY – Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said on Monday, April 22, that First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ personal feelings toward her have nothing to do with her duties as a public servant.

VICE President Sara Duterte. (Inday Sara Duterte FB)
“As a person, it is First Lady Liza Marcos’ right to feel resentment and anger. However, her emotions are distinct from my mandate as a government official,” Duterte said in a video message posted on her official Facebook page days after the First Lady said in an interview with broadcast journalist Anthony Taberna that she now sees Duterte in a negative light.
Duterte said she would privately talk about the next steps with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., considering that the country is facing significant problems that need to be addressed by the government.
“We should focus on addressing the challenges facing our country. The relentless increase in food prices and other commodities further aggravates the plight of our impoverished fellow citizens who do not have enough food,” Duterte said.
Duterte cited the water shortage, power supply, and the illegal drugs trade. She said the threat of crime, terrorism, and insurgency in the country has not yet ended.
“These are the things that deserve our attention. Let us prioritize the Philippines,” Duterte said.
The First Lady said that Duterte went too far when she participated in an anti-Charter change candlelight prayer rally in January and found amusement in her father’s – former President Rodrigo Duterte –
comments regarding President Marcos being “stoned.”
The former Chief Executive also claimed that the President was on the watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). The Chief Executive denied Duterte’s claim.
Marcos said the elder Duterte was experiencing the consequences of using fentanyl. The exchange of drug allegations between them intensified speculations regarding the rift between the Duterte and Marcos families.