Marcos denies declaring political war, distances self from 'political heat'
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. holds a post-state visit press conference in Tokyo, Japan on May 29, 2026. (PPA)
President Marcos believes he should not be held responsible for the current "political heat" in the country, noting that he has neither declared political war nor attacked anyone.
When asked whether he would take steps to ease political tension to accomplish his remaining goals before his term ends, Marcos said only those engaged in “politics for their own benefit” can do so.
"The only persons who can turn down the political heat are the people who turn up the political heat in the first place," he said during a post-state visit press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, May 29.
"I have never turned up the political heat. I have never attacked anyone. I have never put down anyone. I have never declared war on any political group whatsoever," Marcos added.
The President stressed: "All I do is work." He blamed those "who are making all kinds of preposterous allegations" for fueling the political heat.
"Only they can turn it down," he said.
"It is the people who have indulged themselves in politics for their own benefit, not for the benefit of the people, not for the benefit of the system, not for the benefit of anybody but themselves," he argued.
Obstructionists
Without naming names, the President said "they are the only ones who can stop the conflict.
"Hindi galing sa amin ang gulo na ‘yan (That conflict did not come from us)," he said.
Marcos refused to address them directly, and only said that "there are many" of them.
"That's the nature of politics. It is like a legal process, it is an adversarial process in many ways. And that's what happens. However, different politicians choose to exercise or to work their politics in different ways," Marcos further said.
The Chief Executive said there are two kinds of politicians in his view— "those who are actually helping and those who are doing nothing but obstruction."
He noted that obstructionists "do nothing but create trouble."
Everything the administration says and does is wrong for them, he said.
"Those are the obstructionists. And they are not working for the Filipino people. They are working for themselves," Marcos said.
"If you are desirous of lowering the political temperature, you have to look at who raised the political temperature in the first place. They are the ones who can lower the political temperature)," the President added.