Marcos: PH needs solutions, not hurtful words

Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas proclamation rally in Laoag City on Feb. 11, 2025  — INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — In an apparent swipe at former President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments during the rallies of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said the country “needs solutions, not heated, loud, and hurtful words.”

This was one of the main points of his speech during the administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas proclamation rally in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Marcos also said the administration’s senatorial slate is clearly heading toward prosperity and peace.

READ: Duterte hits back at Marcos to push PDP-Laban bets

“This is probably one of the best examples we can present to the people: unity and cooperation to serve the public,” he said in Filipino.

“What we need are solutions to the problems we are facing,” he added.

During PDP-Laban rallies, Duterte once again accused Marcos of being high on illegal drugs.

Duterte also told PDP-Laban members and supporters to “just kill” some senators so their party’s bets could secure 12 Senate seats.

Marcos has also been on the offensive since the campaign for national candidates started on February 11.

During Alyansa’s proclamation rally in Ilocos Norte on February 11, Marcos urged Filipinos to support the administration’s slate if they do not want a return to the country’s bloody past.

“Will we go back to the past when our nation was pimped out as a gambling den for foreigners? Do we want to return to a path soaked in the blood of innocent children who were taken from their mothers, torn from their homes, and robbed of their future?” he said.

According to the President, no Filipino wants the government to revert to its old ways, which is why it is important to elect senators who are not tainted by the bloody drug war.

Marcos also apparently mocked certain candidates.

“I’m honestly puzzled—some candidates seem to have done nothing more than deliver vinegar, yet they were still given a certificate of candidacy. There’s just no comparison to our candidates,” he said in Filipino ‘at the Ilocos Norte rally.

READ: Admin senatorial candidates defend Marcos attacks vs other bets

Alyansa’s senatorial candidates have defended Marcos’ statements, saying he is entitled to his opinion.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro also said during Thursday’s briefing that Marcos’ tirades against the Duterte administration are just his way of showing that “he is not and will never be a weak leader.”

READ: Marcos’ tirades vs Duterte admin way of showing he’s not weak – Palace

In 2021, Duterte took a jab at then-presidential aspirant Marcos, calling him a “weak leader.”