Like many arguments, this one seemed to start out harmlessly with laughter.
“I am hurt. My husband will do everything in his power to protect you,” Araneta-Marcos told the vice president directly. “We ran together, right? Our motto was: we stand together.”
“She crossed the line,” Araneta-Marcos, 64, said of President Duterte-Carpio, 44, and called for an apology. “That's not true. That's what politics is called. You're in the government. You're the vice president.”
President Duterte Carpio took five days to compose his response, which he released to his 2.2 million followers in the form of a Facebook video on Monday. She didn't sound contrite, saying it was her first lady's “right” to be hurt, and that “her personal feelings have nothing to do with my mission as a government official.” added.
The vice president said he would “personally discuss” with Marcos to decide next steps, then urged the government to focus efforts on solving inflation, poverty, “the proliferation of illegal drugs,” terrorism and communist insurgency. did. , as well as providing water and electricity to everyone.
This sparked an immediate outcry from both her opponents and Marcos supporters, who immediately called for her immediate resignation or removal from her role as Cabinet Secretary of Education.
The kind president, the tiger's wife
Marcos' reaction to President Duterte-Carpio's comments was conciliatory. Instead of vocally defending his wife's outburst, the first lady simply said, “She's not used to politics.”
“We politicians are used to personal insults. We're desensitized to it,” he said. “She doesn't come from a political family, so maybe she still has a lot to learn when it comes to being hurtful and delivering hot words.”
Marcos said he was a “lucky husband.” [his wife] She gets very angry when she hears something bad said about me. I think she can't be blamed here. ”
He added that there is no reason to remove Duterte Carpio from the post of education secretary. “If you can't do your job, just tell me and we'll take your place. If you're incompetent or corrupt, we'll remove you. That's not what Inday does.” He used the vice president's nickname to show his personal intimacy.
If you have a kind president, he should have a tiger wife.
Further emphasizing the continued cooperation between the two countries and as if to dispel any potential tensions, Marcos greeted the vice president with an affectionate peck on the cheek at a recent event, expressing the absence of hard feelings. showed that.
But Chester Cabalza, a professor of anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman and founder of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, says Araneta Marcos is not as politically naive as her husband claims. It is said that there is no.
“If you have a kind president, you should have a tiger wife,” Kabarza said in Asia this week, adding there was no doubt that Marcos and his wife “complemented” each other's personalities.
Cabalza said that since Sandro is not old enough to run for president in 2028, Marcoses' cousin, House Speaker Martín Romualdez, has been suggested as a possible candidate.
But the Marcos camp said it recognized the popular Duterte Caprio as an obstacle to these plans. The Philippines is heading towards China, even though her vice-presidential father and her allies see her as the key to her political comeback and her pivot once again. According to surveys, Duterte-Caprio is currently the favorite to win her 2028 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Filipinos are reliving the drama, said Ronald Lamas, chairman and political risk analyst at Galahad Consulting Agency.
“Filipinos love telenovelas,” he said, referring to TV dramas and soap operas. “What’s happening now is like our local version.” tower on the sand and game of thrones”
Marcos Jr.'s wife emerges from the shadows as Philippine election race heats up
Marcos Jr.'s wife emerges from the shadows as Philippine election race heats up
He said the feud has “huge political implications,” especially since there is a “huge political vacuum in Malacañang.” [the presidential palace]There is no press secretary, no real ruling party or coalition, no cabinet to protect or commit to the president, and no obvious political advisers, strategists, or managers. ”
“The first lady appears to be the only political pillar to fill the political vacuum, so her interview is meaningful to say the least,” Lamas added.
Historian Manolo Quezon emphasized the importance of next year's midterm polls. The midterm poll will see all 316 members of the House of Representatives up for re-election, as well as 12 of the 24 senators and all elected local government officials.
Every president in the Philippines is “born with the power to vote and faces a referendum that could result in a lame duck situation in midterm elections.” [if it loses],” He said.
This means that presidents whose chosen candidates fail to secure a majority in midterm elections often find it difficult to pass legislation and budgets, introduce new taxes, or elect an anointed successor.
That's what happened to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who lost the midterm elections in the Senate in 2007, and then in 2010, when her candidate was not selected as the presidential nominee. She was later arrested on election fraud charges and detained for five years.
Influence of America and China
Suspicions are rife on social media in the Philippines that the feud between the two political camps is fueled by foreign interference.
But security analyst Rommel Vanlaoi told Asia this week: “China has nothing to do with this feud. This feud is primarily domestic, with very personal details between Sarah and Liza. It's something,” he said.
Van Laoi, director of the Center for Intelligence and National Security Studies and adjunct research professor at the National Institute of South China Sea Research in China's Hainan province, said “the United States would benefit” if the feud worsened. A divided nation is easy to govern. Division and rules. “
“Domestic politics in the Philippines is currently being heavily influenced by the great power rivalry between the United States and China. Both countries are interested in whether the 2025 election results will be favorable to their countries.”
However, security analyst Kabarza disagreed with Banglaoi's assessment.
“China will take advantage of that feud in next year's midterm polls, when forces opposed to Marcos will try to take control of both houses of Congress,” he said. “Their purpose is Sarah. [Duterte-Carpio] He will become president in 2028. ”
Cabalza said the feud was merely an expression of “existential issues” that had gone unspoken between the two sides for months, and that Duterte's camp had accused his daughter of unfairly distributing the spoils after the election. He added that he felt mistreated.
Mr. Marcos refused to give Mr. Duterte Caprio the post of defense secretary and recently halved the amount of classified funds she had requested.
Activists condemn China-US standoff in Philippines' South China Sea waters
Activists condemn China-US standoff in Philippines' South China Sea waters
He said the outcome of the feud would have serious implications for foreign policy. “If President Dutertes is overthrown, it will obviously benefit the Americans. If Marcos is overthrown, it will definitely benefit China. It depends on who will be the last dynasty,” Lamas said. said.
