In the midst of the ongoing political spectacle in the Philippines, a unique and intriguing “drug war” has emerged, pitting the Duterte camp against the Marcos-Romualdez camp.
This unexpected showdown is not the typical drug war the nation has witnessed; instead, it revolves around Duterte’s “Polvoron” and Marcos’s Fentanyl.
The tension escalated on Monday when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. responded to Duterte’s recent verbal attacks, suggesting that they might be fueled by the alleged use of the powerful opioid painkiller, Fentanyl.
Duterte had accused his successor of drug use over the weekend, cautioning him against following in the footsteps of his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who faced ousting in a popular uprising. Additionally, Duterte criticized moves to amend the 1987 Constitution.
“I think it’s the Fentanyl,” Marcos remarked when asked about Duterte’s accusations.
Fentanyl, a potent painkiller, had been openly discussed by Duterte in 2016 due to a spinal injury from motorcycle accidents.
“Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It’s highly addictive, and it has very serious side effects. PRRD has been taking the drug for a very long time now… I hope his doctors take better care of him,” Marcos emphasized, refusing to dig further into the drug use accusation.
As Marcos departed for a state visit to Vietnam, he reiterated, “And PRRD [President Rodrigo D. Duterte] has been taking the drug for a very long time now. When was the last time he told us that he was taking fentanyl? Mga (Around) five, six years ago? Something like that. After five, six years it has to affect him.”
Amidst this political drama, Duterte, on Sunday, accused Marcos of being a drug addict and claimed he was on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) watch list during his term. However, PDEA contradicted this, stating that Marcos was never on their drug watch list.
“May drug addict tayo na presidente, p**ang ina,” he said during his controversial speech.
Duterte, who had admitted using Fentanyl during his presidency, drew parallels between Marcos Jr.’s potential fate and that of his father.
The threat was delivered during a prayer rally in Davao City, where Duterte accused the Marcoses of attempting to perpetuate their power.
He warned, “Mr. President, baka susunod ka sa dinaanan ng tatay mo” (Mr. President, you might follow the same path as your father).
In a concerning revelation, Duterte shared a past encounter during his mayoralty when PDEA allegedly presented evidence, including Marcos’s name on a list of suspects.
“Nung ako mayor, pinakitaan ako ng evidence ng PDEA. Doon sa listahan, nandoon yung pangalan mo” (When I was mayor, PDEA showed me evidence. Your name was on the list), Duterte disclosed.
This recent exchange echoes a familiar theme, as during the 2022 presidential campaign, Duterte had previously claimed that a presidential candidate was “using cocaine.” T
The Daily Netizen 