Marcos Jr. Confronts Duterte Feud and Impeachment Crisis to Define His Presidential Legacy

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is entering the final stretch of his single six-year term while trying to define a legacy separate from his family’s controversial past, even as his alliance with Vice President Sara Duterte has collapsed into a bitter political feud. The dispute between the two most powerful political dynasties in the Philippines has helped drive a second impeachment case against Duterte and added instability to a government already facing economic pressure and shifting geopolitical conditions, according to Bloomberg’s reporting.

Marcos, heir to the Marcos political dynasty and son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., has spent much of his presidency navigating the burden of his surname while presenting himself as a different kind of leader. Bloomberg’s latest interview and profile portray a president confronting not just history, but the practical challenges of governing through a rapidly changing technological landscape, economic headwinds and a fracturing ruling coalition.

The conflict with Duterte has become one of the defining crises of his presidency. According to Bloomberg, Marcos discussed the widening rift in an exclusive interview with Haslinda Amin, after the vice president was hit with a second impeachment move in as many years, deepening turmoil in the Senate. The dispute is especially significant because Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte and, like Marcos, part of a dominant political family that has shaped Philippine politics for years.

The feud has also raised alarm beyond the halls of Congress. A separate report in the cluster notes that Sara Duterte threatened to have Marcos assassinated, a claim that intensified public concern and prompted increased security for the president. That threat underscored how personal the political breakdown has become, turning what began as an uneasy alliance into a confrontation with national security implications.

The instability matters because it comes at a sensitive moment for the Philippines. Marcos faces the end of his only term with limited time to establish accomplishments that will outlast the political rivalry now consuming his administration. At the same time, the country is dealing with economic consequences from global disruptions and strategic pressures in the region, including the challenge of managing relations with major powers while defending Philippine interests.

The clash between the Marcos and Duterte camps also reflects a broader problem in Philippine politics: the concentration of power in a small number of families. That dynastic competition has helped shape policy, alliances and elections, but it has also made governing more vulnerable to personal rivalries. As Bloomberg reports, Marcos is now trying to project a legacy of his own while his vice president, once a crucial partner, has become his most destabilizing opponent.

What happens next will depend on whether the impeachment effort against Duterte advances and whether Marcos can preserve enough political support to keep his agenda moving in the Senate and beyond. With two years left in office, the president is under pressure to show that his administration can deliver more than dynastic conflict, and that his time in power will be remembered for more than the feud that increasingly defines it.