Marcos vs Duterte family feud drags both political dynasties’, and the Philippines’, names through the mud

Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, the president said: “The one I have the most contact with is [Vice-President Sara Duterte] – and how we were during the election, [and since then] it hasn’t really changed.”

The Marcos and Duterte families became allies in 2022 when Sara, the daughter of ex-president Duterte, joined Marcos’ campaign in what proved to be a winning combination for both candidates.

Since then, the bond between the two clans has become increasingly fractious – with plenty of invective being hurled at the Marcos family by the former president and his supporters.

Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez (top right), then-Philippine speaker of the house, applauds as then-President Rodrigo Duterte, centre, gives a speech at the House of Representatives in Quezon City in 2018. Photo: AP

On Monday, congressman Pantaleon Alvarez, a key Duterte ally, called on the military to withdraw its support for Marcos and force him to resign over his increasingly confrontational stance against Beijing regarding their disputes in the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s term for the section of the South China Sea that outlines its maritime territory and includes its exclusive economic zone.

“Our constitution says the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] shall protect the people and the state, not the president. If we allow the war to explode in the West Philippine Sea, there will be countless dead bodies and unimaginable destruction. Before that happens …. I call on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to please withdraw your support to the chief executive …. [so he’ll step down],” Alvarez said at a prayer rally in Tagum City in the Mindanao province of Davao del Norte on Sunday.

The Philippine military said on Tuesday that it plans to ask Alvarez to explain his comments. The Department of Defence said it supports Marcos Jnr’s constitutional powers, adding calls for withdrawals of support might result in a “criminal investigation”.

Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte attend an education-related event in Manila in January. Photo: Kyodo

After the election in 2022, Sara indicated that she wanted to be defence secretary but was given the education portfolio instead. When she requested 650 million Philippine pesos (US$11.5 million) in “confidential funds” last year for her office’s discretionary use, she faced intense criticism and withdrew her request. It was later revealed that she had received 125 million pesos in confidential funds in 2022, spending the entire amount in 11 days. She was again pilloried, but Marcos Jnr did not defend her.

The current Philippine president has also seemingly snubbed his No 2 at several recent public events, and has not intervened to help pastor Apollo Quiboloy – a spiritual adviser and ally of the ex-president – who is being investigated by American and Philippine law enforcers for alleged sex trafficking.

Despite his non-confrontational approach, Marcos Jnr has occasionally hit back.

Early this year, after Duterte repeated his claim at a rally that the president was a drug addict, Marcos Jnr responded by speculating whether his foul-mouthed predecessor was ranting under the influence of fentanyl.

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Why is the Philippines aligning itself with the US after years of close China ties under Duterte

Marcos Jnr has also criticised Duterte over a recent revelation that the previous administration reached an unwritten agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain the status quo in the South China Sea. He said he was “horrified” over the agreement and questioned why it was kept secret from him and others.

“They call it a gentleman’s agreement, I call it a secret agreement”, he told reporters in Washington.

In the foreign correspondents’ forum on Tuesday, Marcos Jnr said in comments directed at Duterte: “We still have to find out what this is all about. I tried to ask officials of the former administration [but] I haven’t got a straight answer … What is contained in that agreement and what did we agree to? Why do you keep it secret?”

He had not been able to get answers about the agreement because of “many excuses”, the Philippine president said.

People hungry for absolute power never really work well together. One side has to win

Nuelle Duterte, ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s niece

Rumours of the agreement prompted Duterte to hold a press conference to discuss the matter, with his admission of its existence sparking accusations of treason.

Franco, the political analyst, said she could not foresee any type of reconciliation between Marcos Jnr, Duterte and their families. “I think there is already so much distrust, so it is difficult to patch things up,” she said.

Nuelle Duterte, the former president’s niece who has long been a critic of her uncle’s administration, told This Week in Asia that even during the 2022 campaign, she “didn’t think this unity would last, mostly because people hungry for absolute power never really work well together. One side has to win.”

The New Zealand-based psychiatrist said the two families had to enter the alliance in 2022 because they would have lost the election otherwise.

“It was a strategic alliance, nothing more. Will it last? Likely no, because neither party wants to be the subordinate of the other.”

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