Cracks in Uniteam? VP Sara believes she still has Marcos' trust

Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday said she believes that she still has the trust of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. following the reported “cracks” in their coalition, UniTeam.

“We’re okay,” Duterte said when asked about her relationship with Marcos.

“Well I believe that I still have the trust of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” she added.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is a cousin of the President, said Monday he expects the relationship between the House of Representatives and Duterte to improve following the latter's decision to let go of the P500 million confidential fund under the proposed 2024 national budget.

Romualdez also said that the Marcos-Duterte alliance during the 2022 elections or “UniTeam,” remains intact.

"We always work together. It is still a Uniteam. The President always wants us to work together, so we will always strive for that," he said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte, father of VP Sara, and Romualdez had a row over confidential funds, which saw the former President alleging that the House was the “most rotten institution” in the government.

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives removed former President and Pampanga lawmaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab as deputy speakers after failing to sign a resolution supporting Romualdez.

Sara Duterte had said that Arroyo and Ungab have her “full support as a politician and as a friend.” —KG, GMA Integrated News