MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed that he intervened to block an impeachment move against Vice President Sara Duterte, stating that such proceedings would only waste Congress’ time and distract from addressing the needs of Filipinos.

In a media interview in Lucena City, Quezon province, on Friday, Marcos addressed reports about a leaked text message where he urged his allies in Congress to abandon plans to file an impeachment complaint against Duterte.

“It was actually a private communication but na-leak na, yes, because that’s really my opinion. This is not important. This does not make a difference to even one single Filipino life. So why waste time on it,” Marcos said.

Marcos emphasized that pursuing an impeachment would paralyze both chambers of Congress.

“What will happen if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time and for what? For nothing, for nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a storm in a teacup,” the President added.

Marcos Hopes for Reconciliation

Despite the escalating feud between him and Duterte, Marcos seemed hopeful for a resolution. Asked if the rift had reached a “point of no return,” he replied, “Never say never.”

The fallout between the two former allies, who ran as a tandem in the 2022 elections, became public when Duterte resigned as Education Secretary earlier this year. The rift intensified after Duterte revealed in August that she faced impeachment threats in the House of Representatives over the use of P125 million in confidential funds not included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

Controversial Remarks

The feud escalated recently when Duterte admitted to instructing someone to “kill” Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were to die. Her remarks prompted some agencies and officials to take action, with the Department of Justice directing the National Bureau of Investigation to look into possible charges of grave threats and violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

However, the Vice President later claimed her remarks had been “maliciously taken out of context,” stating they were meant to highlight threats to her security and were not intended as a threat against the President or his family.

Marcos vowed to block any “criminal attempts” against his life but downplayed the controversy surrounding Duterte’s remarks, dismissing the issue as a distraction.

For her part, Duterte dismissed potential impeachment efforts as a waste of public resources. “They can always try to impeach me. They can always spend and waste the government’s money to impeach the Vice President,” she said.

Duterte was also set to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday to clarify her statement but requested a postponement after reportedly learning late that a scheduled House inquiry into her office’s fund utilization had been canceled.

The rift between the President and Vice President has raised questions about the stability of their administration and its ability to address pressing national issues.

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