Marcos claims Duterte on fentanyl after ex-president called him a drug addict
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clapped back at former president Rodrigo Duterte by spewing drug use claims of his own.
During a prayer rally against charter change in Davao on Jan. 28, Duterte accused the president of being a drug addict, alleging that the current chief of staff was on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) watch list.
“Bongbong, bangag ‘yan. That’s why sinasabi ko sa inyo. Si Bongbong Marcos bangag noon. Ngayong presidente na, bangag ang ating president," the former president said.
"Kayong mga military alam ninyo ‘yan, lalo na ‘yong mga nasa Malacañang, alam ninyo. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, alam ninyo. May drug addict tayo na presidente! P***** i***g ‘yan!”
PDEA later said that Marcos was never on any of its drug watch lists.
While Duterte rallied in Davao, Marcos held his own "Bagong Pilipinas" rally at the Quirino Grandstand for his supporters. The president talked to members of the press about his predecessor's accusations on Jan. 29.
"I think it's the fentanyl. Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects. [Duterte] has been taking the drug for a very long time," the president claimed.
"When was the last time he told us he was taking fentanyl, mga five, six years ago? Mga five, six years, it has to affect, kaya nagkakaganyan. I hope his doctors take better care than him than this [na] 'di pinababayaan ang ganitong problema," he added.
Duterte and his relationship with drugs
In past speeches, Duterte did admit to using the painkiller after getting into a motor accident when he was 68 years old. In 2017, he described how the drug eased his burden and made him feel like he was "on cloud nine."
"'Yung Fentanyl, the doctor stopped it because he got mad. I'm supposed to cut it into four pieces. Eh there was a time na 'yung buo nilagay ko because more than just the disappearance of pain, you feel that you are on cloud nine. Para bang everything is okay with the world, nothing to worry about," the ex-president said in February 17.
During his administration, Duterte was staunchly against illegal substances, beginning his war on drugs campaign when he assumed office. Human rights groups have been against the bloody drug war and the extrajudicial killings that occurred in the midst of it as some varying reports of 6,000 to 12,000 individuals were killed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. There are legal types of the drug, pharmaceutical fentanyl, which is given by doctors to treat severe pain after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer.
Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are one of the most commonly used drugs in overdose deaths in the United States.
ICC probe
Earlier in the month, Marcos allowed the International Criminal Court to visit the Philippines as they conduct an investigation on Duterte's bloody drug war. Despite this, the current president said that he will "not lift a finger" to help the probe.
While president, Duterte withdrew from the ICC with his successor continuing the Philippines' distance from the court.