Marcos says he is open to reconciling with Duterte family

MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he is willing to mend ties with the family of Vice-President Sara Duterte, after candidates supported by his estranged deputy won more seats than expected during last week’s Senate election.

“I want to get along with everyone,” Mr Marcos said in an interview that was streamed on his Facebook page on May 19. “I need friends, not enemies.”

He added: “As much as possible, I want stability, peace, so that we can do our jobs.”

It is not the first time that Mr Marcos has struck a cordial tone in his feud with Ms Duterte, earlier calling the row a “storm in a teacup”. But his latest comments come after the midterm election where Duterte-backed candidates

won at least four of 12 Senate seats

up for grabs, more than surveys had predicted.

Mr Marcos and Ms Duterte partnered to win the 2022 national election, but their ties collapsed due to political differences, prompting her to

quit the Cabinet in 2024

.

Mr Marcos’ allies at the House of Representatives impeached the Vice-President in February over her alleged death threat against the President and misusing public funds, accusations she denies.

The following month, the Marcos administration facilitated

the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte

, and his detention at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, where he is awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity during his drug war.

But even before her father’s arrest, Ms Duterte said she did not see the possibility of mending relations with Mr Marcos, declaring then that it had “reached the point of no return”.

The President is extending an olive branch amid his declining popularity and following the underwhelming performance of the administration’s Senate slate last week. “Let’s work together, even if we don’t agree on policy,” he said.

Mr Marcos, however, distanced himself from the Vice-President’s impeachment case ahead of the Senate trial set for July. “The impeachment is already with the Senate. Let’s leave it with them, there’s a process,” he said. BLOOMBERG