No cracks in Marcos-Duterte alliance, assures VP Sara

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr." with other govt officials holds a situational briefing affected by flood brought by continuous rain because of shearline on Thursday, Nov 23, 2023. ( /PPA POOL)

There are “no cracks in the Uniteam,” Vice President Sara Duterte assured on Tuesday amid reports of a growing rift between herself and erstwhile running mate and now President Marcos over his administration’s seeming interest to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of her father’s brutal war on drugs.

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of “Bata, Bida Ka!” program for the 31st National Children’s Month, Duterte stressed that the Uniteam “was a tandem during the elections. This time, our job is not to campaign anymore, but as President and Vice President.”

“With regard to our working relationship, I have not heard any complaint from him on our work at the Department of Education (DepEd),” Duterte said.

‘We talked before US trip’

She added that while they have not yet talked since his recent statement signifying a sudden interest to study the possibility of cooperating with the ICC, “we talked before he went to the United States and it was one of our topics … three of us—me, Sen. Imee Marcos and him—were there,” she said, referring to Mr. Marcos’ weeklong US trip.

November 9 2023 VP Sara Duterte with Senator Sonny Angara attends a senate hearing on thursday, where the office of the Vice President announced it will no longer pursue its request for P500 million confidential fund for next year, its budget sponsor said. The OVP and the Dept. of Education both headed by Duterte requested a combined P650 million in confidential funds. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ.

This is not the first time either Duterte or Marcos have sought to allay such reports, which began when the House leadership under the President’s cousin and Speaker Martin Romualdez moved to strip the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd of P625 million in requested confidential funds.

Later, impeachment talks floated in Congress about Duterte’s supposed misuse of the OVP’s 2022 P125-million confidential funds, which were spent in 11 days.

Several House leaders have already dismissed the issue with House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe calling the alleged impeachment against Duterte as “fake news.”

Even so, Duterte said they would “come up with a statement in the appropriate time.” INQ

###—###