Marcos vs Duterte family feud drags both political dynasties’, and the Philippines’, names through the mud

When asked about his relationship with the Duterte family, Marcos Jnr admitted at a forum on Tuesday: “it’s complicated”.

Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, the president said: “The one I have the most contact with is [Vice-President Sara Duterte] – and how we were during the election, [and since then] it hasn’t really changed.”

The Marcos and Duterte families became allies in 2022 when Sara, the daughter of ex-president Duterte, joined Marcos’ campaign in what proved to be a winning combination for both candidates.

Since then, the bond between the two clans has become increasingly fractious – with plenty of invective being hurled at the Marcos family by the former president and his supporters.

“Our constitution says the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] shall protect the people and the state, not the president. If we allow the war to explode in the West Philippine Sea, there will be countless dead bodies and unimaginable destruction. Before that happens …. I call on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to please withdraw your support to the chief executive …. [so he’ll step down],” Alvarez said at a prayer rally in Tagum City in the Mindanao province of Davao del Norte on Sunday.

The Philippine military said on Tuesday that it plans to ask Alvarez to explain his comments. The Department of Defence said it supports Marcos Jnr’s constitutional powers, adding calls for withdrawals of support might result in a “criminal investigation”.

During a press conference on Thursday, Duterte called Marcos Jnr a “crybaby” for his repeated criticisms of his predecessor’s policy on the West Philippine Sea, mocking the current president using obscenities and questioning whether he had finished college.

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