MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will resign if former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wins his electoral protest against Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, a Palace official said.
According to Duterte, Marcos is “one of the better qualified leaders” to replace him, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday.
“If there’s a better leader or if there’s a qualified leader to take over, and he (Duterte) has said that Sen. Bongbong Marcos is one of the better qualified leaders to succeed him,” Roque said.
“If there [are] developments and he (Marcos) will win the electoral protest against Leni Robredo and he becomes vice president, yes, he (Duterte) will make true on his word of stepping down,” Roque added. “For now, he remains President.”
Duterte had said he will step down from office if Sen. Francis Escudero or Marcos would succeed him.
“Sinabi ko, I think deep in my heart, if you follow the succession and Robredo takes over, hindi niya kaya. … Hindi niya kaya, that’s my honest opinion ko lang,” Duterte said before members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas on Tuesday night. “Kung sino lang sana diyan, in the likes of Escudero or Bongbong Marcos, but si…”
Earlier that day the President – “tired” and “exasperated” over corruption in his administration – said he was thinking of stepping down.
He clarified that he had nothing against the vice president.
“Now the reason why I cannot tell you why that we follow the constitutional succession is this: wala akong galit kay Robredo. Panalo na ako. Hindi ako nakikipag-away ng babae. Hindi nga ako sumasagot kung ano ang sinasabi nila,” said Duterte.
In his speech the President also tagged Robredo’s home city of Naga as a hotbed of illegal drugs.
“I know at the time, for several years, I don’t want to mention names, Naga was the cradle of civilization. And it was there. And you can ask the Naga guys and the Naga addicts,” he said. (With Prince Golez/PN)
Kapal nang Mukha …buwisit.