President Marcos said he does not regret running alongside Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2022 elections, but admitted he fears that the reforms started by his administration could be undone if she eventually assumes power.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television uploaded on YouTube on May 29, Marcos dismissed suggestions that it was a mistake to run on the same ticket as Duterte during the 2022 elections.

“No, I don't think so,” he said when asked directly by Bloomberg’s Haslinda Amin.

“I think it was for the time that was the best thing that we could do,” he added.

According to Marcos, he and Duterte previously shared the same vision for governance.

“We had the same idea of what needed to be done in government. Maybe that's changed,” he said.

“But if you look at it in the context of that period, I think that was the right thing to do, still,” he added.

The President, however, acknowledged concerns that his administration’s programs and reforms may not continue if Duterte eventually rises to power.

Asked whether he fears his policies could be reversed given Duterte’s continuing popularity, Marcos answered: “Yes. Very much.”

“That is a great worry for me because we have just started, and these are big things that we are trying to do,” he added.

President Marcos said his administration is pursuing major governance reforms that require continuity to succeed.

“We're changing the whole way that we govern. We are trying to reform the bureaucracy,” he said.

“These things don't get done instantly, and it's very, very easy to go off the rails,” he added.

The Chief Executive stressed that continuity remains essential for sustaining reforms and avoiding a return to old practices in government.

“It is continuity that we aspire for, that we dream of, that we work for, and that continuity has to go on,” he said.

“Otherwise, we will go back to doing business the old way,” he added.

Despite this, Marcos rejected the characterization of a supposed “war” between the country’s two most influential political families: Marcos and Duterte.

“Well, I don't see it as a war. I'm not conducting any war or political war against anyone,” he said.

“I'm just trying to do my job,” he added.

The President said his administration remains focused on governance rather than politics.

“All I worry about is work, all I worry about is national development, all I worry about is sustainability,” he said.

“I worry about jobs, I worry about the economy, I worry about people's lives, safety, etc.,” he added.

The President also downplayed descriptions of “warring families,” saying national development should take precedence over political conflict.

“The response is really to leave politics aside because the work of national development is a billion times more important,” he said.