VP Sara Duterte Steps Around Explosive Question About Marcos
SARA DUTERTE – A single evasive answer from Vice President Sara Duterte has fueled fresh debate over the country’s leadership as calls for President Marcos to resign grow louder.
Vice President Sara Duterte avoided giving a direct answer when asked if she is prepared to take over the presidency should President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leave office, choosing instead to sidestep the issue as growing political pressure continues to surround the administration. Her comments come as voices from within her own camp have intensified their calls for Marcos to resign.
“I will not answer that right now because we will have chaos,” Duterte told News5 when questioned about her readiness to assume the country’s top post. Under the Constitution, the vice president is next in line if the president becomes unable to fulfil his duties.
Sara Duterte’s decision not to address the question directly emerges at a time when the administration is facing public backlash over supposed multibillion-peso “ghost” flood-control projects. The situation further escalated when Sen. Imee Marcos alleged during an Iglesia ni Cristo rally that her brother, President Marcos, and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos were drug addicts—claims that sparked widespread discussion given that they came from a member of the Marcos family.
Malacañang and the Marcos family rejected Imee’s accusations, describing them as desperate moves and noting that the president had already taken a drug test, which showed negative results.
Despite this, Duterte maintained that the president should undergo another examination, mentioning ongoing rumours about people they were believed to have interacted with. “If you are the president, vice president or government official, you cannot say no when challenged to undergo a drug test, neuropsychiatric exam or other exams related to competency,” she said.
The Palace shot back by pointing out that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, had previously admitted to using marijuana and abusing fentanyl. “Did she order her father to undergo a drug test?” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said, emphasising that Marcos remains focused on his duties while “others have shown signs of uncontrollable anger issues.”
As all this unfolds, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson criticised circulating proposals for a transition council or a military-led “reset,” calling them unconstitutional. He revealed that retired generals had approached him about participating in a proposed junta, but he declined. “I hope such military-backed intervention would not happen because nothing good can come out of it,” Lacson said, urging the public to challenge irregularities through lawful and democratic channels.