Marcos a drug addict? 'I agree with the assumption,' says Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said she "agrees with the assumption" of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is a drug addict.

"I agree with fractured governance. I agree with the assumption that he's a drug addict because he continuously refuses to do a drug test," Duterte said in an ambush interview at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.

The Vice President was reacting to the statement of the elder Duterte who called Marcos a drug addict and challenged the military to protect the Constitution.

"Hanggang kailan kayo mag suporta ng drug addict na presidente?" former President Duterte said in a press conference on Monday.

(Until when will you support a president who is a drug addict?)

GMA News Online sought for the Palace’s comment regarding Vice President Duterte's statement and will update this story once it responds. 

It was not the first time that the Duterte patriarch has linked Marcos to illegal drug use. In January this year, Duterte dared Marcos to undergo drug test in public to prove that he is not a drug user. He also once called Marcos "bangag" (high on illegal drugs).

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has already denied former President Duterte's claim that Marcos was on its watch list.

Marcos has shrugged off his predecessor's accusation, saying it must be the effect of fentanyl, a drug Duterte has admitted to taking during his term as president. 

"It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects," Marcos had said about fentanyl, which is used as a pain reliever.

Marcos and Sara Duterte were running-mates in the 2022 elections but their relationship soured after the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos' allies, questioned the use of confidential funds by her office and the Department of Education (DepEd), which she headed.

A formal House investigation has been launched on the alleged misuse of the Office of the Vice President and DepEd funds. Sara Duterte has denied any irregularity, saying the investigation is a prelude to her impeachment.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News