PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday, January 29, 2024, that the claims of former President Rodrigo Duterte that he is a “drug addict” could be the effect of a pain reliever he has been taking for a “long time.”
In a chance interview with reporters before his departure for a state visit in Vietnam, Marcos was asked to react on Duterte’s accusation that he is a drug addict and is always “bangag,” a local term commonly used by Filipinos to describe someone who is high on drugs.
“When was the last time he told us that he is taking fentanyl? Mga five to six years ago something like that. After five to six years, that has to affect the…kaya palagay ko kaya nagkakaganyan… I hope his doctors will take better care of him,” he added.
Marcos laughed the issue off and said he will not dignify the former President’s statement.
It was in December 2016 when Duterte admitted over-using fentanyl, a pain reliever usually prescribed to cancer patients, although he denied having such illness.
He said this is due to his migraine and a spinal condition.
Duterte said his doctor ordered him to stop using it, noting that it may lead to cognitive disability. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
