Duterte accuses Marcos of 'veering towards dictatorship'

Former President Rodrigo Duterte upped his criticism of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, claiming that his successor might not cede power when his term ends in 2028.

Marcos might impose martial law like his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., to guarantee a no-election situation and extend his stay in Malacañang, Duterte said at an indignation rally in Mandaue City, Cebu.

''Si Mr. Marcos is veering towards a dictatorship. Mopusta ko sa inyo, dili na manaog pagkahuman sa iyang termino. Pareha na sa iyang tatay, magkagubot na pud ta because ang iyang buhaton mag-declare na pud ug martial law pareho sa iyang papa. 'Pag martial law, walay eleksyon,'' Duterte said.

(Mr. Marcos is veering towards a dictatorship. I bet he will not step down after his term. It will be just like his father's time. He will declare martial law, just like the father did, and our country will fall into chaos. Elections cannot take place in the event of martial law.)

Political opponents also want to remove Vice President Sara Duterte this early in order to eliminate her as a possible candidate in the 2028 presidential race, the former president said, as his daughter is set to face impeachment trial in the Senate. 

''They want to remove Inday (VP Sara's nickname). It’s politics. After Marcos’ term is finished, if they win and he is not a dictator, someone will replace him. However, they cannot find someone, and Inday always wins (in the elections), so they want to cripple her as early as possible,'' Duterte said in Cebuano.

In his speech, Duterte asked the military and police to make moral decisions and not ride on someone's ambition.

''Kamong mga sundalo ug pulis paminaw mo, kanang ambition sa usa ka tao ayaw mo ug pagsakay kay madugay o madali matapos man gyud na, unya illegal mana. Pamili mo, duha ra mana, naay sayop, naay tama,'' he said.

(Please pay attention, soldiers and policemen. Don't take advantage of someone else's ambition because it will eventually come to an end and is illegal. There are two options available to you: wrong and right.)

The elder Marcos declared martial law in September 1972 and remained in office until the EDSA People Power Revolution forced him and his family to leave the country in February 1986.

In March last year, Marcos told Australian broadcaster ABC that he had no impulse to authoritarianism, noting that the Philippines had a good system of government.

''I have no impulses to authoritarianism whatsoever. We have a good system going. I think we've learned to, we have a constitution that we have, that we have gone by for the last 36 years now,'' Marcos said.

''We are making, hoping to make some changes to [the Constitution]. But, no, I have not felt any tug or temptation to make it a more authoritarian system,'' he added.

Marcos said his father declared martial law because of the peace and order situation at the time.

Gold reserves

Last week, Duterte lamented the high rice prices and again claimed that Marcos was using illegal drugs.

In Mandaue, Duterte accused the Marcos administration of a lack of transparency in the sale of gold reserves.

''Wala ta kabalo ang gold diin gibaligya ug pila,'' the former president said.

(Where and for what price the gold was sold are unknown to us.)

''They don't bother to answer, and they don't really bother to give a statement to the Filipino people,'' he added.

Last September, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) defended the sale of its gold holdings in the first half of the year, describing it as an “active management strategy.''

“The BSP took advantage of the higher prices of gold in the market and generated additional income without compromising the primary objectives for holding gold, which are insurance and safety,” the central bank said.

The statement was released after BestBrokers, an online aggregator, said that the Philippine central bank sold the most gold among countries that reported activities to the World Gold Council (WGC) in the first half of the year.

BestBrokers said the Philippines sold 24.95 tonnes from January to June 2024, cutting down the country’s reserves by 15.69% to 134.06 tonnes.

Several PDP Laban senatorial candidates also spoke at the indignation rally.

Jimmy Bondoc criticized government officials who have questionable wealth, saying that those in public office should "live modest lives."

"Lahat tayo, hindi tayo perpekto. We have our frailties. Pero kung mahilig ka sa pera, magnegosyo ka na, kasi public office is a public trust. We have to live modest lives," he said.

(We are all not perfect. We have our frailties. But if you love money, just go into business, because public office is a public trust. We have to live modest lives.)

"Hindi po bawal yumaman. Kailangan nating magpayaman, huwag lang pera ng bayan," Bondoc added.

(It is not forbidden to get rich. We need to get rich, but do not use people's money.)

SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta, meanwhile, said the impeachment complaint had no basis and that the congressional investigations appeared to have only targeted the Vice President.

Marcoleta also claimed that the more than 200 House members who endorsed the impeachment complaint did not consult their constituents in exchange for AKAP allocations.

"Kung kaya na huwag tanggapin, huwag tanggapin [ang AKAP], dahil ito lamang ang magsisilbing sampal sa kanilang mga mukha," Marcoleta said.

(If it's possible not to accept it, then do not accept [the AKAP], because it will only serve as a slap in their faces.)

"Let us resist the temptation. Let us repel the vindictiveness of one man, the leader of the House of Representatives," Marcoleta said.

GMA News Online has asked for a reaction from Speaker Martin Romualdez.

In a video message, actor Philip Salvador said he is against corruption, oppression, crime, drugs, and the impeachment the Vice President.

"Ito naman ang sa akin. Walang magnanakaw na Duterte," Salvador said.

(Here is what I have to say: the Dutertes are not thieves.)

Senator Bong Go, who was not able to attend the rally, said he will continue to push for pro-poor programs and health services.

Vic Rodriguez said if elected, he will revive the death penalty for those committing plunder.

"Kapag nagawa ko 'yan bilang senador ninyo, kasama si Pastor Senador Apollo Quiboloy, ating ipapanukala ang pagbabalik ng death penalty sa lahat ng mahahatulan ng kasong pandarambong, sa lahat ng mahahatulan sa kasong drogang kasasangkutan ng mga taong gobyerno, mga banyaga o dayuhan,'' he said.

(If I become a senator, together with Pastor Senator Apollo Quiboloy, we will propose the return of the death penalty to all those convicted of robbery cases and to all those convicted of drug cases involving government officials, foreigners, or aliens.)

He also criticized anew the supposed blank items in the 2025 national budget. — VBL, GMA Integrated News

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