18-10-2024 (MANILA) Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has issued a startling threat to exhume the remains of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and cast them into the sea. This unprecedented declaration marks a new low in the increasingly acrimonious relationship between the Duterte and Marcos families, once allies who swept to power in the 2022 elections.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the 46-year-old Duterte revealed she had conveyed this threat to Senator Imee Marcos, the incumbent president’s elder sister. “One of these days, I will go there. I will get the body of your father and throw it in the West Philippine Sea,” Duterte stated, employing the Filipino term for the contested waters of the South China Sea.
This dramatic turn of events comes as both political dynasties jockey for position ahead of the 2024 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race. The animosity between the families has been building since Duterte resigned from her cabinet post as Education Secretary in June, citing irreconcilable differences with the Marcos administration.
Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had previously facilitated the controversial interment of Marcos Sr. at the “Cemetery of Heroes” in 2016, a decision that sparked public outrage given the elder Marcos’s legacy of human rights abuses and alleged embezzlement of billions.
The vice president expressed a sense of betrayal, stating she felt “used” after aligning with Marcos for their successful 2022 campaign. “It’s not my fault that we are on this road to hell,” Duterte remarked during a lengthy press conference, adding, “That’s why I left the administration (because) I did not like what I was hearing there, I did not like what I was seeing there.”
This latest outburst follows a series of mutual accusations between the families. Earlier this year, the elder Duterte labelled President Marcos a “drug addict”, prompting a retaliatory claim about the former president’s alleged long-term use of fentanyl. Neither party provided evidence to support these allegations.
The political landscape has grown increasingly complex, with Duterte facing impeachment threats in the House of Representatives, led by Marcos’s cousin Martin Romualdez, who is also rumoured to have presidential aspirations for 2028.
Despite the escalating hostilities, Sara Duterte remains the constitutional successor to the 67-year-old Marcos, adding a layer of intrigue to the unfolding political drama.
The Marcos administration has thus far remained silent on Duterte’s provocative statements, with presidential spokesman Cesar Chavez declining to comment on the issue.
