Malacañang on Wednesday denied allegations of a supposed term-sharing agreement between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, following claims raised during a House hearing.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President has no personal knowledge of any such arrangement.
“Wala po tayong personal na kaalaman, kahit na ang Pangulo ay walang personal na kaalaman patungkol po dito (We have no personal knowledge, and even the President has no personal knowledge about this),” Castro said in a press briefing.
The allegations stemmed from testimony by alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, who claimed there was a 2021 agreement for Marcos to step down in 2025 in favor of Duterte, along with supposed contingency plans to unseat the President.
Marcos and Duterte ran and won convincingly in 2022 under the UniTeam coalition.
Castro reiterated that Marcos remains committed to completing his term.
“Ang Pangulo po ay nangampanya sa taumbayan… at nangakong tatapusin ang kaniyang termino (The President campaigned before the people and promised to complete his term),” she said.
Asked about the President’s reaction, Castro said Marcos was surprised by the allegations.
“Siya po ay nagulat… dahil hindi po ganoon ang Pangulo (He was surprised… because that is not how the President is),” she added.
The allegations surfaced during a House of Representatives inquiry related to impeachment proceedings involving the Vice President.
On alleged threats against the President, including remarks attributed to Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Castro said these are not new but indicated that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should take the lead in investigating such claims.
“Ang NBI na po ang dapat mag-imbestiga nito (The NBI should be the one to investigate this),” Castro said. (PNA)