• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) national chairman, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, on Friday (April 19) called on Vice President Sara Duterte to consider stepping down from her Cabinet post.
The call of Benitez came after he and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas issued a joint statement expressing their support to First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, who expressed her disappointment with Duterte for attending rallies where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is being criticized.
“It seems inappropriate for a Vice President, who campaigned under the same party as the President, to participate in such events and react with amusement to the attacks,” Benitez and Treñas said in a joint statement.
Moreover, as the Secretary of Education, she is a key member of the President’s cabinet and certain level of solidarity is expected, they added.
“There are unspoken rules and lines that should not be crossed,” the mayors of the two Western Visayas highly-urbanized cities further said.
Marcos and Duterte won the elections in 2022 under the banner of “UniTeam”.
“In light of recent events, it is crucial for all Cabinet members to uphold utmost support and unity,” Benitez said, noting that the Vice President’s presence at events where the leadership is criticized, has raised concerns.
“Adhering to the principle of delicadeza, it may be wise for her to consider stepping down, to preserve the integrity and unity of the administration,” he added.
In an interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna, which was posted on a Facebook, the First Lady admitted that she felt hurt when the Vice President was reportedly seen laughing as former President Rodrigo Duterte called Marcos “bangag” or high on drugs, during a rally in Davao City in January.
“You ran together, di ba? Sama-sama tayo babangon muli. Pupunta ka sa rally, tatawagin yung presidente mong bangag, ‘di ba (We will rise together again. You will go to a rally, your president will be called a drug addict), you’re going to laugh. Tama ba yan (is that right)? Even (former vice president) Leni (Robredo) never did that,” the First Lady added.
When asked for comment, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said, “I think as a loving wife, that’s a normal reaction.”
“But again that is very personal, so I wish not to comment further,” he added.
In the video, Araneta-Marcos said it was not appropriate for the younger Duterte to laugh at her father’s remarks against Marcos. | GB
