Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he has no regrets running with Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2022 elections, saying it was “the right thing to do” at the time.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Marcos said he and Duterte shared the view on what needed to be done in government under the UniTeam banner.
“I think it was or that time that was the best thing that we would do. We had the same idea of what needed to be done in government. Maybe that’s changed,” Marcos said.
“But if you look at it in the context of that period, I think that was the right thing to do,” the chief executive added.
The Marcos-Duterte tandem won in a historic landslide with 31.6 million and 32.2 million votes for the presidential and vice presidential race, respectively.
However, after several issues spanning three years into their term the UniTeam pair dissolved into a now bitter feud.
These issues include the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the death threats issued by the VP against the first couple, and shifts in political alliances.
Still facing the effects of the rift, Marcos said he is concerned that Duterte may reverse some of his administration’s policies should she win the presidency in 2028.
Marcos said his administration has implemented reforms in the bureaucracy and on improving government processes, which need to be sustained to be effective.
“These things don’t get done instantly and it’s very, very easy to go off the rails. It is continuity that we aspire for, that we dream of, that we work for and that continuity has to go on. Otherwise, we will go back to doing business the old way,” he said.
Duterte, despite preparing to face a looming impeachment trial at the Senate, has been leading in preferential surveys.
