VIENTIANE – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. explained on Friday why he did not designate Vice President Sara Duterte as the country’s caretaker while he is in Lao PDR for the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Speaking to the Philippine media delegation, Marcos said it was because Duterte was no longer part of the administration.
Marcos said it would be “unfair” to impose a duty on the Vice President.
“She’s still in government but she left the administration. So, she’s not part of the administration anymore. So, she’s not — she’s not part of the — really the day-to-day running of what we are doing,” Marcos said.
“So, it would be unfair to ask her to now sudden — to impose that duty on her since she’s — that’s not part of her work now,” he added.
Marcos said this should not be construed as a complete falling out or a sign of distrust towards Duterte.
“No. It’s a very practical reason, actually. That’s how I came to that conclusion. The — if you notice the membership of the executive committee are all part of — now they’re all members of the Cabinet up to now,” he said.
“So, that would seem to be the obvious way to handle it,” Marcos added.
The caretakers while the President is away were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III.
In the same briefing, Marcos, however, admitted that he felt deceived after Duterte said they were never friends. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
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