Philippines' Marcos offers reconciliation with Dutertes – will it work?
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has called for reconciliation with Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio and her family, despite moves by his administration and political allies to impeach her and send her father to face trial in The Hague – a dramatic shift observers say could reflect either political vulnerability or strategic calculation.
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In a one-on-one interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna aired on Monday, Marcos was asked directly: 'Mr President, in your heart do you want to reconcile with the Duterte family?'
The president replied, 'Yes. Personally, I don't want conflict. I want to get along with everyone. That's better. I already have many enemies and I don't need enemies. I need friends.'
His surprising comment came just days after Duterte-Carpio said she welcomed her Senate impeachment trial – initiated by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Representative Sandro Marcos, the president's cousin and son respectively – saying she looked forward to 'a bloodbath'.
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio (centre) arrives to cast her vote at a polling centre in Davao City on May 12. Her approval rating rose seven percentage points ahead of the midterm election. Photo: AP
It followed a string of politically charged developments: the electoral defeat of most of Marcos' senatorial candidates in the May 12 midterms; the March 11 transfer of Duterte-Carpio's father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity; and the February 5 vote by the House of Representatives, led by Romualdez, to impeach the vice-president.
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