MANILA (Bloomberg): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looked to lower the temperature in his feud with Vice President Sara Duterte, hinting that any effort to impeach her could slow his reforms.
Marcos called the row a "storm in a teacup” and said he’s against impeachment proceedings against Duterte. His comments are a departure from the escalating recent rhetoric, which included death threats and veiled hints of a possible coup.
"None of this will help improve a single Filipino life,” Marcos told reporters on Friday. Any move to file an impeachment complaint against Duterte will only "tie down” Congress, he said. "It will just take up all our time, and for what? For nothing.”
A lawmaker at the House of Representatives said an impeachment complaint against the vice president for betrayal of public trust, bribery and plunder could be filed as early as next month, ABS-CBN reported on Friday.
The Philippine leader made the comments shortly after authorities delayed a meeting with Duterte to explain her apparent threat over the weekend to have Marcos assassinated if she is killed. Duterte’s remarks deepened a feud between her and Marcos, which some analysts say could delay reforms and pose risks to one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
Marcos met with his economic managers and congressional leaders on Thursday to ensure that his administration’s economic priorities including improving infrastructure and business climate are achieved.
The president’s decision is a "tactical retreat, not a truce” as both politicians’ popularity take a hit due to the feud, said Cleve Arguelles, CEO of WR Numero Research."Impeachment is a bridge too far, for now, because it risks turning public backlash against both sides.”
An impeachment proceeding could alienate Duterte’s supporters ahead of the midterm elections in May, Arguelles said.
Marcos also told troops Friday not to be distracted by the political noise, saying their mandate is to defend the people and the nation. "Let’s keep that mission clear in our mind,” he told soldiers from the main Luzon island at an event, according to a statement from his office.
Duterte was scheduled to appear at the National Bureau of Investigation today, but NBI Director Jaime Santiago said a hearing is now tentatively set for Dec. 11. The delay was at her request.
"We are investigating the video clips where she threatened to have the president, first lady and speaker of the House killed,” Santiago said, noting the vice president is not immune from legal action. He added that authorities are also taking seriously Duterte’s claim that she is facing threats herself.
A separate decision by the House of Representatives to cancel Friday’s committee hearing on the alleged misuse of funds at Duterte’s office came in late "so she’s not ready for the NBI investigation,” Santiago said, citing a letter from her lawyer.
If the vice president misses the next meeting without a valid reason, "that will indicate that she’s waiving her right to face our investigation,” Santiago said.
The police this week also filed a complaint against her and her security detail over allegations of assault and coercion following an incident involving the transfer of her chief of staff to a government hospital from the House of Representatives, where the staffer was detained.
Asked on Friday to comment on Duterte’s recent remark that her relations with Marcos have reached "the point of no return” and are now beyond repair, Marcos said: "Never say never.”
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