First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. FILE PHOTO
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family will not use their influence to strike back against their detractors as wielding power against their political enemies will not help in nation-building, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos said in an interview.
Araneta-Marcos said her husband believed that the attacks and any vindictiveness arising from being slighted have to 鈥渟top somewhere.鈥� She spoke in an hourlong exclusive interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna that was shown on his YouTube channel early Friday.
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Araneta-Marcos dared her family鈥檚 critics to 鈥渂ring it on鈥� although she said she won鈥檛 ever 鈥渟toop to their level.鈥�
Calling herself the 鈥淔ierce Lady,鈥� she quipped, laughing, that they will only 鈥渂ecome uglier and uglier鈥� as karma bites at them.
鈥淒on鈥檛 you think there鈥檚 a designed effort (to attack the Marcoses)?鈥� she asked. 鈥淥f course, yes. But who鈥檚 doing it?鈥滵espite the concerted effort to bring them down, the first lady said her family will not use their power to shut down the social media accounts of people who bash them.
鈥淚to na lang ha. If you鈥檙e the President of the Philippines and I am the Fierce Lady, Fierce ha, sa palagay mo hindi ko kayang gawin 鈥檡an? 鈥� But it has to stop. This cannot be. Hindi ganun 鈥檡ung Pinoy,鈥� Araneta-Marcos said. (Let鈥檚 put it this way. If you鈥檙e the President of the Philippines and I am the Fierce Lady, that鈥檚 Fierce, okay. You think I can鈥檛 do the same? 鈥� It can be done, but it has to stop. This cannot be. Filipinos are not like that.)
She went on: 鈥淟et them do their thing. Sa palagay mo ba hindi namin kaya gawin 鈥檡an? You鈥檙e the President of the country.鈥� (Let them do their thing. You think we are not capable of doing that? You鈥檙e the President of the country.)
鈥榃ill I take the bait?鈥�
A lawyer by profession, Araneta-Marcos said she was not interested in pressing charges against bashers attacking her family as it won鈥檛 contribute to nation-building.
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She admitted that she was initially shocked and hurt by the criticisms hurled at her family, but she learned to ignore the taunts.
鈥淚鈥檓 a lawyer, right? Filing charges is my life. Will I take the bait? I鈥檇 rather not. It鈥檚 a waste of my time, and of filing fees. No, no, no 鈥� It has to stop. It has to stop somewhere,鈥� Araneta-Marcos said.She said that in the 31 years she had been married to Marcos, he never spoke ill against anyone or filed charges against those who had attacked him.
鈥淪omeone told Bong, why aren鈥檛 you standing up? Why don鈥檛 you say something? You know what he said? 鈥業t has to stop at some point.鈥� If you think about the past and other vindictiveness, did you ever hear my husband talk bad about anyone? It has to stop,鈥� Araneta-Marcos said.
She added: 鈥淪o let鈥檚 take it to the logical conclusion. I get pissed, I will file a case, Bong will file a case. And then it鈥檚 two factions again. What will happen to nation-building?鈥�
The first lady made the remarks after she was asked about her relationship with Vice President Sara Duterte, which triggered her own attacks against the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte and her husband鈥檚 predecessor himself.
She 鈥榗rossed the line鈥�
She said the Vice President, who is also the education secretary, 鈥渃rossed the line鈥� when she laughed at her father鈥檚 allegations that the President was 鈥渂angag鈥� (stoned), something a member of the Cabinet was not supposed to do as Marcos鈥� ally and alter ego.
There were no immediate comments or reactions from the Vice President or her spokesperson.
Araneta-Marcos said she will give Duterte the cold shoulder in the absence of an apology from her father for going too far by calling her husband a drug user at an anti-Charter change rally in Davao City in January.
READ: Marcos on his relationship with Duterte clan: 鈥業t鈥檚 complicated鈥�
The first lady admitted that she was hurt by the statements of her husband鈥檚 predecessor and the Vice President鈥檚 reaction.鈥淚magine a former President calling him bangag (stoned)?鈥� she said. 鈥淲hy would you call him that, right? And then the camera panned to her, she was laughing.鈥�
鈥淪he laughed. For me, that鈥檚 wrong. You鈥檙e getting your salary from the government. You鈥檙e supposed to be the alter ego. We鈥檙e there protecting you. Then you do that? That鈥檚 wrong. You crossed the line,鈥� the first lady said.
Araneta-Marcos noted that not even then Vice President Leni Robredo acted that way toward the elder Duterte despite their strained ties.
The elder Duterte also alleged that Marcos was on the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a claim that the agency denied.
READ: 鈥業t鈥檚 the fentanyl,鈥� Marcos says after former president Duterte tags him 鈥榙rug addict鈥�
The next day, the President remarked that his predecessor鈥檚 dependence on the opioid fentanyl must be affecting him.
Araneta-Marcos also took offense at the former president鈥檚 claim that her son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, was gunning to be prime minister and that the Marcoses want to 鈥減erpetuate鈥� themselves in power.
Not her sons
She said she was 鈥渘ot short-tempered鈥� but amazed at the 鈥渞eally stupid鈥� and unsophisticated and invented stories against her family. 鈥淏ut I get angry when they hurt my sons,鈥� she said.Araneta-Marcos said she gave the Vice President the silent treatment during the departure ceremonies for the President and his delegation on his state visit to Vietnam, a day after the January 28 Davao City rally.
鈥淚鈥檓 many things, but I鈥檓 not a hypocrite. It was departure time. So we were there. Normally, we would talk, but I didn鈥檛 want to. Then somebody went up to me and said, 鈥楬ey, you look beautiful today.鈥� I said, 鈥楴o, I actually look bangag.鈥� She (Duterte) had no reaction,鈥� Araneta-Marcos said.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楤angag is the word of the day.鈥� Still, no reaction. I stopped it afterwards but I鈥檇 do it again.鈥�
She said she has yet to receive an apology from Duterte for the incident.
鈥淏ad shot na 鈥檡an sa akin. Unless she says sorry or whatever, maybe she will. But she crossed the line. Actually, going down from Prague, I saw her again. Bong said, 鈥楤ehave.鈥� I said, 鈥榃rong person, honey,鈥� Araneta-Marcos said.
Asked if there was no hope of reconciliation between her and Duterte, the first lady said: 鈥淣o. I mean, for me, I was hurt. Because my husband will do everything to protect you. You ran together, remember? We were supposed to rise up together. You went to a rally where your President was called a stoned President, you鈥檙e going to laugh? Is that the right thing to do? Even Leni never did that.鈥�
鈥楢lways kind,鈥� 鈥榬eally nice鈥�
She added that she was 鈥渁lways kind鈥� and was 鈥渞eally nice鈥� to Duterte, but things changed after that rally in Davao City.
Her interview with Taberna was the first time that a member of the first family aired gripes about the Vice President, who was one-half of the 鈥淯niTeam鈥� with Marcos in the 2022 presidential elections.
Since the anti-Charter change rally in Davao City, the elder Duterte has criticized his successor on other occasions and even called him a 鈥渃rybaby鈥� for going to the United States for help in dealing with China on the West Philippine Sea.
Marcos refused to be goaded into responding in a similar manner. During his visit to Washington last week, he said the former President鈥檚 ad hominem attacks had no place in the 鈥渧ery important and very precarious discussions鈥� with the United States and Japan.
Last Monday, the President described his relationship with his predecessor as 鈥渃omplicated,鈥� but said his working relationship with the Vice President 鈥渉asn鈥檛 really changed.鈥� 鈥擶ITH A REPORT FROM KATHLEEN DE VILLA聽