NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Two mayors of key cities in Western Visayas – one a close political ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and another who supported the failed 2022 presidential bid of former vice president Leni Robredo – drew the line and openly threw their support behind First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos over her souring relationship with Vice President Sara Duterte.

Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo, a staunch supporter of the failed 2022 presidential bid of former vice president Leni Robredo, and Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez, a close political ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., have openly thrown their support behind the First Lady amid her strained relationship with Duterte.

Their joint statement, released on Friday, April 19, expressed disappointment in what they called inappropriate actions by Duterte, who also serves in the Marcos cabinet as education secretary.

The joint statement about the escalating tension between the two high-profile figures made prominent the intricacies of Philippine politics, with alliances and loyalties often shifting amid ongoing power dynamics and personal conflicts.

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The mayors empathized with Mrs. Marcos, citing her expressed dismay over Vice President Duterte’s attendance at rallies critical of President Marcos Jr., and her seemingly casual response to attacks on the administration.

They said it was improper for the Vice President, who campaigned under the same party banner as the President in 2022, to participate in such events and react with amusement to the attacks.

“We empathize with the First Lady as she expresses her disappointment that the Vice President attends rallies where the President is criticized. It seems inappropriate for a Vice President, who campaigned under the same party banner as the President, to participate in such events and react with amusement to the attacks,” read a part of the joint statement. 

The rift between Mrs. Marcos and Duterte was brought to light following a recorded interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna, where Mrs. Marcos candidly expressed her hurt over the Vice President’s behavior during an anti-Marcos rally in Davao City earlier this year. The interview was posted on Taberna’s YouTube channel, Tune In Kay Ka Tunying, hours earlier.

Sara, who ran as Mrs. Marcos’s husband’s vice-presidential candidate in 2022, was seen laughing as her father, ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, referred to the President as “bangag” (high on drugs) during the rally.

Treñas and Benitez criticized Sara for not showing solidarity with the Marcos administration, especially given her position as the head of the Department of Education (DepEd). They emphasized the expectation of a level of unity within the cabinet. They said that as the education secretary, a key member of the President’s cabinet, a “certain level of solidarity is expected.”

“There are unspoken rules and lines that should not be crossed,” Treñas and Benitez stated.

Mrs. Marcos, in her interview with Taberna, expressed her unwillingness to forgive unless an apology was offered. The First Lady has notably snubbed Sara in public appearances since the incident, describing her actions as “not right” and emblematic of “entitled politics.” – Rappler.com