The so-called UniTeam, the coalition that brought President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte to power, is showing cracks, Senator Imee Marcos said on Wednesday.

“I think there is already a crack in the UniTeam. There is a rift in the alliance,” she said, when asked about her family’s relationship with the Dutertes amid the ongoing word war between her brother and his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

She, however, underscored that the relationship between the principals of the coalition — her brother and Sara — remained intact.

“However, I think the principals are okay. The ones causing the rift are those around them, the devils and snakes in the Palace,” she said.

On Tuesday, President Marcos was asked the same question in a press briefing in Vietnam following his tirades against Duterte, the father of the vice president.

“The UniTeam is not just one or two or three parties. It’s the unification of all the political forces to come together for the good of the country,” he said.

“It is still there, still vibrant, still working, and we will continue to work on that basis,” he added.

 ‘I love them both’

Senator Marcos is maintaining her distance in the ongoing feud between her brother and the older Duterte, who accused each other of being substance abusers.

“Why should I make a choice? I love them both. What I don’t like is what’s causing a stain on our name which we have worked hard on the past 36 years,” she said.

Asked to comment on Duterte’s dare to her brother to undergo a drug test in public to prove that he is not a drug user, Imee said: “I have not heard of it. I don’t know anything about drugs so I would not join in the discussion. I will leave it to them.”

Risa chimes in

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged President Marcos and his predecessor, former president Duterte, to undergo drug tests to end their argument about who between them is the addict.

Hontiveros made the suggestion when asked her reaction to Duterte’s dare to Marcos to undergo a drug test in public to prove that he is not a drug user.

“Drug testing should always be suspicion-less and voluntary. To conclude the two leader’s accusations against each other on drug use, I encourage them both to take the test,” she said.

Duterte, father of Vice President Sara Duterte, has found himself in a word war with Marcos after the latter hit back at his allegation that he was a drug user.

Test at Luneta

The elder Duterte has challenged Marcos to undergo a public blood test at the Luneta in Manila to prove that he is not a drug user.

In a speech Tuesday evening in Davao City, Duterte also offered to participate in the test, claiming that he wants transparency and accountability.

“(Marcos) should have his blood taken there by an independent entity or doctor. I will do the same, count me in. He will have a blood test,” Duterte said.

The former president has made allegations that Marcos is a drug user. He said he saw Marcos’ name on the list of drug personalities of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency when he was mayor of Davao City.

The former president also countered PDEA’s statement earlier this week that said it had no record of Marcos being a drug user.

“These PDEA people, they’re fools. Who in the PDEA would give... ‘Sir, this is your record in the narco (list),’” Duterte said.

Duterte said he would release the list if he finds it. However, he also warned that releasing such a list could have negative consequences, as it could resurface even after Marcos is no longer in power.

In the same speech, Duterte addressed claims that he was a substance abuser. 

He claimed he only used fentanyl, a powerful opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration, as a pain reliever.

“Fentanyl is prescribed by a doctor and I obtained my fentanyl prescription from the Pain Center of St. Luke’s,” Duterte said. 

“I even remember the one who gave it to me, Dr. Javier. So, I’m giving you the name and my doctor. After that, Mr. President, I got better; I no longer needed fentanyl,” he added.