My wife didn’t set up Duterte meet — Bongbong Marcos

Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. denied on Wednesday that his wife brokered the meeting between President Duterte and the estranged wife of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista.

“We don’t interfere in marital quarrels,” he told reporters in an interview at the House of Representatives.

Asked to comment on the controversy involving Patricia Bautista’s allegations of unexplained wealth against the Comelec chief, Marcos said he had no knowledge.

Mr. Duterte earlier confirmed meeting separately with the Bautistas in Malacañang after Patricia sought an audience with him to call his attention to her accusations against her estranged husband, including the charge that he amassed nearly P1 billion in unexplained wealth.

Pending electoral protest

Rumors circulated afterward that Patricia’s good friend and Marcos’ wife, Mary Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, served as intermediary in that meeting. Patricia’s lawyer Martin Loon denied this.

Marcos has a pending electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo in the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Bautista, in interviews, said the allegations against him were intended to undermine the integrity of the 2016 elections.

But Marcos said all he knew about the scandal was limited to news reports.

“I’m watching what you’re reporting — that’s all I know,” said Marcos, who was at the House to support his sister, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, at a congressional hearing on her province’s alleged misuse of tobacco excise taxes.

“As to your question [about brokering the meeting], the Palace will confirm it’s not true,” Marcos said.