President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. – MALACAÑANG PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with several House lawmakers in Malacañang on Wednesday afternoon for a “fellowship,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.
Among those in the meeting were House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Majority Floor Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe.
The PCO did not disclose the agenda of the meeting.
“The gathering is meant to be a fellowship between the Office of the President and members of the House of Representatives, which was already scheduled some time ago. The event is for close coverage only,” the PCO told Palace reporters.
It can be recalled that Dalipe said that Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that Romualdez wanted her killed is only “a product of her fertile imagination.”
He also said this was just Duterte’s way of diverting attention from the alleged misuse of the confidential funds (CFs) of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under her watch.
Last November, Duterte said in an online press conference that she already tasked someone to kill the President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Romualdez should she be assassinated.
On Monday and Wednesday, Duterte was slapped with two impeachment complaints filed by progressive groups. Among the grounds they cited was Duterte’s alleged misuse of OVP and DepEd’s CFs.
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On Wednesday morning, Marcos attended the 33rd Anti-Terrorism Council meeting and year-end celebration, where he vowed that his administration would continue supporting programs that promote peace and security, as the Filipinos’ safety is his administration’s “topmost priority.”
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After that, he graced the oath-taking ceremony of the newly promoted Armed Forces of the Philippines generals and flag officers.
In his speech, Marcos reminded the armed forces to always uphold international law and build better coordination with other nations in defending the Philippine territorial waters.