PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday said he would keep Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio as his Education secretary, adding that his relationship with her was unchanged.

The President, who was in Vietnam for a state visit, noted that Ms. Duterte-Carpio had not attacked him.

“It’s exactly the same because she hasn’t said anything of that nature,” Mr. Marcos told reporters in Hanoi, alluding to his predecessor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s attack at the weekend when he called him a drug addict.

During a political rally in Davao City on Sunday, city Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte, son of the ex-President, urged Mr. Marcos to step down.

The President on Monday struck back at Mr. Duterte, the Vice-President’s father, saying the firebrand leader’s fentanyl use could have affected his judgment.

Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte-Carpio ran in tandem and won the 2022 elections under the UniTeam alliance.

“UniTeam is not just one party,” Mr. Marcos said. “It’s the unification of all political forces in the Philippines. That’s still there. It is still vibrant.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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