President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed a desire to reconcile with the Duterte family and move forward with governing the nation.
In a podcast uploaded Monday, Marcos told veteran broadcaster Anthony Taberna that he valued unity above all. “I don’t want trouble. I want everyone to get along. It’s better that way.”
He said he had enough adversaries — what he needed now were allies. The President’s senatorial bets in the last election managed to snag only six of the 12 contested seats.
“As much as possible what I seek is stability and peace so we can do our jobs. That’s why I’m always open to that,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“I’m always open to any approach that says, ‘Come on, let’s work together.’ Even if we don’t agree on policy, even if we don’t see eye to eye. Just do the work — let’s not stir up chaos. Let’s do away with all the trouble,” he added.
But a peace at what cost? Former President Rodrigo Duterte is under detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, while Vice President Sara Duterte has been impeached and awaits a trial in the Senate.
So even before Marcos offered to smoke the proverbial peace pipe, Vice President Duterte had expressed readiness for a full-blown political brawl, saying there would be a “bloodbath” during her impeachment trial.
The Palace responded by saying it hoped Duterte was speaking figuratively.
Bloodbath Sara’s own
On the other hand, the Dutertes’ nemesis, former senator and now party-list representative-elect Leila de Lima, said the only “bloodbath” during the trial would be the Vice President’s own.
De Lima, a former justice secretary, had been tapped as one of the prosecutors in the Vice President’s trial.
President Marcos and Vice President Duterte have not been on speaking terms since 2024 after she resigned as education secretary, effectively leaving the Cabinet and the administration.
Marcos remained tight-lipped about the impeachment proceedings, emphasizing that the matter was now in the Senate’s hands.
“The impeachment? That’s already in the Senate. Let them handle it. There’s a process, let’s respect that,” he said. “For me, the election is over. It’s time to get back to work.”
Last 5 February, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte over her alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds, corruption, betrayal of public trust, and issuing death threats against the First Couple and House Speaker.
The articles of impeachment were subsequently transmitted to the Senate.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero earlier laid out the timetable for the proceedings, with the impeachment trial tentatively set to begin on 30 July. The Senate will begin deliberating on the articles of impeachment when it reconvenes on 2 June.
The divide between the country’s two most powerful political figures widened after the arrest of Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Philippine authorities, in cooperation with Interpol, served an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Vice President Duterte blamed Marcos for allowing her father to be extradited to the Netherlands, arguing that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines following the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
Marcos has denied the accusation, maintaining that the government acted in accordance with the rule of law.
