The family dispute surrounding the president of the Philippines and his sister intensifies: that

Manila, Philippines — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. refused to respond Monday to an accusation from his estranged sister, a senator, that he has been a longtime drug addict whose cocaine dependence has undermined his rule, saying somberly that he did not want to discuss a family breakup in public.

That divide has been growing since Imee Marcos publicly aligned herself with her political archrival, Vice President Sara Duterte, ahead of the midterm elections in May. Sara Duterte is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, a harsh critic and predecessor of Ferdinand Maros Jr.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro has said Senator Imee Marcos’ accusations against her own brother before a large religious rally in Manila last week were “a web of lies” and may have been a desperate attempt to distract from ongoing investigations into a corruption scandal that could implicate her opposition allies in the Senate.

Aides have said in the past that Marcos Jr. had tested negative for cocaine and methamphetamine. Asked to respond to his older sister’s accusations, the president paused briefly and then said in a televised news conference: “It’s anathema to talk about family matters in general in public. We don’t like to show our dirty laundry in public.”

The president suggested that something was troubling his sister. “The lady you see speaking on television is not my sister and that opinion is shared by our cousins ​​and friends, which is not her,” he said without giving more details.

“That’s why we are worried, we are very worried about her. I hope she feels better soon,” the president said. When asked if he plans to talk to her, Marcos said he and his sister “no longer travel in the same circles, political or otherwise.”

Marcos, 68, and his sister are children of then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was overthrown in 1986 by a military-backed but largely peaceful “people power” uprising after an authoritarian era notorious for human rights, political repression and looting. The dictator died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His family returned to the Philippines in 1991 and little by little he recovered his political position.

Marcos Jr. won the presidency in 2022 by a landslide margin in one of the biggest political comebacks in Philippine history.

In a speech Monday night to a large rally by a religious group in a Manila park, Imee Marcos said her brother’s drug addiction allegedly began when their father was still president and has continued to this day. He stated that it has affected his health and his ability to govern.

Rodrigo Duterte who arrested by order of the International Criminal Court in March and flown to the Netherlands and detained there for alleged crimes against humanity for his brutal anti-drug crackdown that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead. Duterte has denied any wrongdoing.

Duterte’s family and allies, including Imee Marcos, have blamed Marcos Jr. for what they claim was the former president’s illegal arrest and detention by the global court.