President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed his disappointment after Vice President Sara Duterte said they were never friends. Speaking at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit on Friday, Marcos Jr. shared his reaction when asked about Duterte’s recent remarks regarding their relationship.
“I’m a little dismayed to hear that she does not think we are friends,” Marcos Jr. said. “I always thought that we were, but maybe I was deceived.”
The Vice President, who resigned from Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet earlier this year, made it clear that she never considered them friends, stating their partnership was only for political purposes. “Hindi kami magkaibigan unang-una. Nagkakilala lang kami dahil mag-running mate kami,” Duterte said in an interview in September.
She also ruled out any future alliance with the Marcoses, stating, “Never again,” when asked about a possible political partnership in upcoming elections.
Duterte’s departure from the Cabinet came amid tensions, with allegations that lawmakers meddled in the Department of Education’s budget. Although she didn’t directly implicate the President, she has pointed to his allies in the House of Representatives as mounting a political attack against her potential bid for the presidency in 2028.
