‘We’re not talking, we’re not friends’: Philippine V-P Sara Duterte on Marcos

Vice-President Sara Duterte on Sept 18 clarified that she and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr are "not friends" despite being running mates in the 2022 elections.

Ms Duterte said this in response to questions about whether she and the President had met or talked about the issues thrown against her.

“None, we are not talking. We are not friends in the first place, we just met because we were running mates. So, even before we became running mates, we had not talked already,” Ms Duterte said in a door-stop interview on the sidelines of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing.

“We only talked during the campaign and at work. My friend is Senator Imee Marcos, she has known me since 2012. When I tendered my resignation, that was the last time President Marcos and I talked,” she added.

It was unclear how Ms Duterte arrived at that statement, but the Vice-President previously said that even after her resignation as Education Secretary, she and Mr Marcos remained friends.

In fact, Ms Duterte has been featured several times – at least four instances – in Mr Marcos' vlog. The Vice-President was seen in the vlog when the pair were candidates for the 2022 polls, as well as after their election, in a 2023 New Year edition.