MANILA, Philippines — Senator Bong Go emphasized on Wednesday that any reconciliation efforts between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the Duterte family should begin with the return of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the country.
Go made the statement in response to Marcos’ recent comment expressing openness to reconciling with the Dutertes.
“Kung gusto niyo po ng reconciliation, pabalikin niyo muna si Tatay Digong, kasi siya naman po ang dapat kausapin. Siya yung elder Duterte, siya po yung nag serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan noong nakaraang anim na taon,” said Go, a close ally of the former president.
(“If he wants a reconciliation, they should bring back Tatay Digong first, because he is the one they should talk to. He is the elder Duterte, he was the one who served our countrymen in the past six years.”)
Go added that Duterte’s return would demonstrate sincerity on the part of the Marcos administration.
“I cannot speak in behalf sa pamilya, but kung meron man po, my personal position is importante rito yung sinseridad dapat sincere ka sa pag-uusap at unang hakbang diyan, pauwiin si Tatay Digong,” he said.
(“I cannot speak on behalf of the family, but if I may say my personal opinion, what’s important here is sincerity—you must be sincere in talks, and the first step is to bring Tatay Digong home.”)
“Kung kaya niyo pong ipadala sa loob ng labingapat na oras si Tatay Digong, alam kong kaya niyo rin pong ipabalik dito sa lalong mabilis na panahon,” he added.
(“If you are capable of sending Tatay Digong in 14 hours, I know you can bring him back in the soonest possible time.”)
Relations between the Marcos and Duterte camps have soured in recent years despite running together in the 2022 elections. Vice President Sara Duterte, who initially served as Education Secretary under Marcos, eventually resigned from her Cabinet post.
In January 2024, former President Rodrigo Duterte publicly called Marcos “bangag,” a Filipino slang term referring to someone high on drugs, and also accused him of aspiring to be a dictator like his late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte likewise criticized Marcos, saying he should resign for lacking a clear direction for the nation.
Further tension arose when First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, in April last year, said Vice President Duterte had fallen out of her favor for allowing her father to attack the President publicly. She specifically referred to a rally where Duterte was present and accusations were made against Marcos regarding drug use.
The Vice President has since continued to criticize the Marcos family.
The divide deepened after the arrest of Duterte due to charges of crimes against humanity filed with the International Criminal Court. The current administration defended the arrest, claiming it was a matter of upholding the country’s obligations under Interpol.
