By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday said he is open to reconciling with the Duterte family, stressing the need for unity and political stability.
In the first episode of his “BBM Podcast,” Marcos said he is “always open” to mend ties with the Dutertes.
“Gusto niyo bang makipagkasundo pa sa mga Duterte? Oo. Ako ayaw ko gulo. Gusto ko makipagkasundo sa lahat ng tao. Marami na kong kaaway, hindi ko na kailangan ng kaaway. Ang kailangan ko kaibigan (Do I still want to reconcile with the Dutertes? Yes. I don’t want trouble. I want to make peace with everyone. I already have many enemies, I don’t need more. What I need are friends),” he said.
The President emphasized that his administration’s priority is to ensure stability and maintain a peaceful environment to allow government work to proceed effectively.
“Hangga’t maari ako ang habol ko ay stability, peaceful para magawa namin ang trabaho namin. Ako palagi akong bukas sa ganyan. I’m always open to any approach na ‘halika mag-tulungan tayo’ (As much as possible, I pursue stability and peace so we can do our work. I’m always open to things like that. I’m always open to any approach that says ‘let’s help each other’),” he added.
The President’s remarks come amid increasing political friction between allies of the administration and supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Marcos and Duterte ran and won convincingly under the UniTeam Coalition in the 2022 election.
The relationship between the two parties started to go south following allegations of misuse of state funds of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education which Duterte helmed from June 30, 2022 to July 19, 2024. (PNA)
