Senate President Francis Escudero rejected former President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is moving toward dictatorship.
“I simply do not see it and cannot infer nor believe it from PBBM’s attitude, outlook and work ethic,” the Senate leader said, referring to the President by his initials.
Escudero called the accusation irrational, inconsistent, and untrue.
He noted that critics previously labeled Marcos as a weak leader, but now accuse him of being authoritarian, which he considers contradictory.
“When their accusation that PBBM was a weak leader who was not in control did not fly, now they are accusing him of the exact opposite and now supposedly has dictatorial tendencies,” Escudero said.
Escudero said he has known Marcos for over a decade and worked closely with him for nearly a year, and cannot see any dictatorial tendencies in his leadership style.
“I do not agree and do not subscribe to his (Duterte’s) accusation at all,” Escudero reiterated.
Duterte recently claimed that Marcos might not step down after his term ends in 2028, likening him to his father and namesake, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
On Sunday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issued a statement, dismissing Duterte’s latest claim as nothing but a “hoax.”
“We treat the former president’s baseless and ridiculous statements in the same way that Filipinos are dismissive of them: a tall tale from a man prone to lying and to inventing hoaxes. This hoax is another ‘budol’ (scam) emerging from a one-man fake-news factory,” Bersamin said.
Malacañang urged the public to focus on facts and avoid being misled by unfounded accusations.
Tensions between the Marcos and Duterte families have grown since Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from the Cabinet in June 2024.
