Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could step down if the son of former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos succeeds in overturning his 2016 vice presidential election defeat, Duterte’s spokesman said yesterday.
Duterte’s single term ends in June 2022 and he has spoken often recently about quitting before that.
At two separate events on Tuesday he said he is “ready to go,” expressing frustration about his failure to tackle illicit drugs and corruption in government.
However, he said he is reluctant to do that now because a constitutional succession would mean handing power to Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, who he said is not up to the job.
Robredo, who leads the opposition party, was not Duterte’s choice for vice president and was elected separately, having narrowly defeated Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Marcos Jr has challenged the result alleging fraud.
The Supreme Court has ordered a recount, a complex process that got underway in April and could take several years.
Robredo says she won fairly.
Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, said the president has a “real, genuine wish to step down” if a qualified leader replaces him.
Marcos Jr is among those he would prefer, Roque said.
“If there’s development and he will win the protest and he becomes the vice president, yes, he will make true his word,” Roque told a regular news briefing.
In a statement, Marcos Jr said he was grateful to Duterte for showing faith in him, but the president should finish his term.
“I urge him not to leave the presidency, as our people still need him for the betterment of our lives and our country,” Marcos Jr said.
ISLAND BUILDING
In other developments, China rebuffed Duterte’s call for Beijing to rethink its conduct in the South China Sea, saying Beijing has the right to react to foreign ships or aircraft that get close to its islands.
Duterte said China has no right to repel foreign aircraft and boats passing by its artificial islands in the disputed waterway, and urged China to “temper” its behavior and stop restricting movements.
In a statement sent to reporters, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) are China’s inherent territory and that it respects the right to freedom of navigation and overflight that all countries enjoy in the South China Sea under international law.
“But China has a right to take necessary steps to respond to foreign aircraft and ships that deliberately get close to or make incursions into the air and waters near China’s relevant islands, and provocative actions that threaten the security of Chinese personnel stationed there,” it said.
“China urges the relevant party to meet China halfway, and jointly protect the present good situation that has not come easily in the South China Sea,” the ministry added, without elaborating.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei also claim the Spratly archipelago, where China has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands that appear to be military installations, from which its personnel routinely instruct foreign vessels to leave.
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