Marcos on VP Sara’s rants: You can’t force people to love you

September 14, 2026

By ABOGADO.COM.PH Staff

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday said he won’t comment on Vice President Sara Duterte’s tirade against him, but suggested her recent attacks might be due to the legal battles she is facing.

In a press briefing in New Delhi, Marcos said he does not feel compelled to answer Duterte’s accusations against him.

“You know, I hear about them, but I don’t really even have a response. If she feels very angry, I suppose, with what’s happening to her. And I am the target of that anger, or the main target of that anger. What can I do?” he said.

The President went on: “You cannot force anyone to love you.”

The Vice President is facing a grave threats case before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court over her statements against the President, as well as an impeachment trial before the Senate.

Marcos and Duterte used to be running mates in the 2022 polls, but their relationship soured as questions over the Vice President’s confidential funds unraveled.

Recently, Duterte accused Marcos of plotting to harm her, with Malacañang dismissing the allegations as baseless and unsupported by evidence.