Baste Duterte 'sorry' for remarks vs. Marcos, Imee says 

Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday said that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has apologized to her over his remarks against her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., during a a prayer rally over the weekend.

“Ang lumapit sa akin ay si Mayor Baste Duterte, nag-sorry nang nag-sorry," Marcos told reporters in an ambush interview at the Senate.

(Mayor Baste Duterte approached me and apologized.)

"Naintindihan ko naman kasi siyempre sobrang emosyonal siya dahil isipin mo naman, eh ikukulong ‘yung tatay mo at ‘yung ate mo, talaga namang magre-rebolusyon ang iyong damdamin,” added Marcos. 

(I understand that he was very emotional. Imagine that your father and sister might be imprisoned. You will really be upset.)

She was apparently referring to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into former President Duterte's war against illegal drugs.

During the gathering, Baste Duterte dared President Marcos to resign.

“Mr. President, if you do not have love or have no aspirations for your country, resign,” Duterte said in Bisaya.

Senator Marcos said she asked Baste Duterte about it during the event.

“Sabi ko, ‘Hoy, ano yan?! Bakit pinagsasabi mo ‘yan?’ Tapos sabi niya, ‘Sorry, sorry. Ganu’n.’ Nakakatuwa nga eh, pero naiintindihan ko kasi s’yempre ‘yung nagbabagabag talaga ‘yung damdamin ng bagets eh. S’yempre ‘yung tatay niya tsaka ‘yung ate niya,” she added.

(I asked him why he said those things. He was apologizing, and I understood. It was an emotional outburst because it was about his father and sister.) 

Mayor Duterte is the brother of Vice President Sara Duterte, who served as President Marcos' running mate in the 2022 elections. 

Former President Duterte over the weekend also accused President Marcos of being a drug addict.

Asked to comment on former President Duterte’s accusations, Senator Marcos only said, “Nakakaloka” (It's crazy). 

“Naku! ‘Di na ako kasali doon. Bahala na sila. Kayang-kaya na nila ‘yun,” she said.

(I am not part of that. Let them handle that.)

On Monday, President Marcos responded to his predecessor’s accusations, saying former President Duterte was making such statements because the latter was taking fentanyl which he said is “highly addictive.”

"It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects. And PRRD [President Rodrigo D. Duterte] has been taking the drug for a very long time now. When was the last time he told us that he was taking fentanyl? Mga (Around) five, six years ago? Something like that. After five, six years it has to affect him," Marcos told reporters.

Asked to categorically deny that he is involved in illegal drugs, Marcos laughed and said, "I won't even dignify the question." —VAL, GMA Integrated News