MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr traded accusations of drug use with his predecessor, Mr Rodrigo Duterte, in his first public rebuke of the former leader as the rift between the country’s two most powerful political clans deepens.

“I think it’s the fentanyl,” Mr Marcos told reporters on Jan 29, when asked to respond to Mr Duterte’s accusations on Jan 28 that the president is a “drug addict” and that he was on the country’s drug watch list.

Mr Durterte’s allegation against Mr Marcos was swiftly denied by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects,” Mr Marcos said before leaving for a two-day state visit to Vietnam.

Mr Duterte “has been taking the drug for a very long time now. I hope his doctors take better care of him”, he said.

Early into Mr Duterte’s term in 2016, the firebrand leader, who oversaw a deadly drug war that killed thousands, admitted that he took fentanyl – a potent opioid medication – to relieve his daily migraines and spinal pains. He denied being addicted to the painkiller.

Mr Marcos and Mr Duterte drew thousands of their supporters in separate rallies on Jan 28, underscoring a widening rift that may split the alliance that led to landslide victories in the 2022 election.

As Mr Marcos unveiled a new slogan for his administration before a crowd that the government estimated at 400,000, Mr Duterte led a gathering in his hometown in Davao.

Mr Duterte warned his successor that he may suffer the same fate as his late dictator father if he pushes ahead with efforts to amend the Constitution.

The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a popular revolt in 1986, prompting the family’s exile in Hawaii.

Piling up on the criticisms from his side of the rift, Mr Duterte’s son, Sebastian, who is also mayor of Davao city, urged Mr Marcos on Jan 28 to resign, calling him lazy and uncompassionate.

“You are lazy and you lack compassion. That’s why we are unhappy,” he said.

He said Mr Marcos “is putting politics first, their self-preservation... rather than focusing on the job”.

“Mr President, if you have no love and aspirations for the nation, resign,” he said.

‘Knives are out’

Cracks in the Marcos-Duterte coalition have deepened since 2023, as Mr Marcos’s allies in Congress questioned Vice-President Sara Duterte’s request for confidential funds, and as Mr Marcos strengthened the Philippines’ ties with the United States after his predecessor pivoted towards China.

Recent moves to revise the Constitution, which Mr Marcos backs, have emerged as the latest flashpoint between the two camps ahead of the midterm elections in 2024.

“We face a complex and changing world. It calls for a united response that will make our nation strong, our economy sound and our children’s future secure,” Mr Marcos said on Jan 28, as he launched Bagong Pilipinas, a brand of governance which translates into “New Philippines”.

“We cannot meet these challenges if no common purpose energises us,” he said.

Ms Duterte, who set aside her presidential ambitions to join Mr Marcos’ ticket in the 2022 election, told the Manila crowd that she supports Mr Marcos’ vision.

She left before Mr Marcos arrived to fly to Davao and attend the rally organised by her family’s supporters.

Like her brother, Ms Duterte has openly defied some of Mr Marcos’ policies, including the peace talks with communist rebels that she said was an “agreement with the devil”.

Asked for comment on her brother’s remarks, Ms Duterte said on Jan 28: “I can only surmise he is coming from a place of brotherly love, coupled by the common sentiment that I do not deserve the despicable treatment that I am receiving from some sectors within the circle of the president.”

“Before it was a speculation. Now it’s clear. The knives are out,” said Mr Cleve Arguelles, CEO of WR Numero Research.

“It’s the breakup of the UniTeam,” he said, referring to the campaign branding of Mr Marcos and Mr Duterte in the 2022 polls.

“The Dutertes cannot be underestimated in terms of their political capital and influence on the public,” Mr Arguelles said. They could pose a challenge for the incumbent in the midterm elections and may weaken Mr Marcos politically.

“(The Manila and Davao rallies) highlight a distressing reality: the dynastic war among ruling elites, which serves only to further cement the interests of political dynasties and entrenched elites, while neglecting the pressing needs of the Filipino populace,” Ms Rafaela David, president of political party Akbayan, said in a statement on Jan 29. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS