Marcos says he's lucky to have a 'very protective' wife

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he feels lucky that his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, is "very protective" of him.

"First of all, my first reaction is what a lucky husband I am that I have a wife na (who is) very protective sa akin (of me)," Marcos said in an ambush interview in Occidental Mindoro amid his wife's apparent rift with Vice President Sara Duterte.

Marcos said his wife could not be blamed if she gets upset every time she hears criticisms against him.

In an online interview last week, Mrs. Marcos admitted getting offended when Vice President Duterte allegedly laughed when her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, called President Marcos "bangag"(high on drugs) during a public gathering in Davao City in late January.

Despite his wife's remark, Marcos said his working relationship with Vice President Duterte, who was his running-mate in the 2022 elections, will not change, and that she would understand the situation.

"I think that she also understands how the First Lady feels, when you have to sit there and listen to these attacks that are being made against your husband," the President said. 

"But mag-uusap kami ni VP Sara tungkol diyan. Huwag niyang masyadong dibdibin, hindi naman siya 'yung mga nagsabi ng kung anu-ano. Madali naman sigurong plantsahin 'yung isyu," he added.

(But me and VP Sara will talk about this. I will tell her not to take too much offense as she was not the one who said those things. I think this issue can easily be ironed out.)

Marcos also said he sees no reason to replace Vice President Duterte as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

''Any of the Cabinet secretaries will be replaced kapag hindi nila ginagawa 'yung trabaho nila. All the other things are not part of the discussion," he said.

For her part, Vice President Duterte earlier said Mrs. Marcos' personal feelings against her have nothing to do with her mandate as the country's second highest government official as well as DepEd secretary. —KBK, GMA Integrated News