Marcos: No reason to remove VP Duterte from Cabinet

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday he sees no reason to replace Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte in his Cabinet. 

"Any of the Cabinet secretaries will be replaced if they're not doing their jobs. All of the other things are not part of the discussions. If you can't handle it, if you get sick, we'll replace you. If you're corrupt, we'll remove you. But Inday Sara is not like that," Marcos said in Filipino. 

The chief executive also said the sentiments of his wife will not impact his working relationship with Duterte. 

In an interview aired last week Friday, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos revealed her resentment toward the vice president. The first lady's remarks seem to deepen further the rift between the Marcoses and the Dutertes, who teamed up in the 2022 national elections. 

Marcos, however, said he "[doesn't] think we need to patch anything up." The president added he believes Duterte understands "how the first lady feels."

Araneta-Marcos told broadcaster Anthony Taberna that Duterte "crossed the line" after she was spotted attending a prayer rally against charter change in Davao City last January and supposedly laughing at the accusation of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, that Marcos was a drug addict. 

The former leader claimed that Marcos was on the watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a claim debunked by the office. The president struck back, saying Duterte's fentanyl use could have affected his judgment. 

In a video message on Monday, the vice president said the president's wife has the right to feel hurt and angry, but stressed "her personal feelings have no bearing on my mandate as a government official."

Duterte also said she would have a private conversation with Marcos. 

Relations between the Duterte and Marcos families have soured as each seeks to solidify its power base ahead of the 2025 midterms. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France-Presse