President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte lead the Basic Education Report 2024 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City on January 25, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA (UPDATED) -- Vice President Sara Duterte said she does not need to agree with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, over his differences with current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

This, after a rift between the camps of Marcos Jr. and the elder Duterte became evident following separate rallies in Manila and Davao City on Sunday.

In a speech during a prayer rally opposing charter change, the former president accused Marcos Jr of being a "drug addict" and warned that he might follow the footsteps of his father, former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Sr, who was ousted from his seat.

Meanwhile, the Vice President's brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, called for the resignation of the President Marcos after calling him "lazy" and "lacking compassion."

"May respeto ako sa mga pananaw at opinyon ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte pati na ng aking mga kapatid," said the Vice President in a statement issued on Wednesday.

"Ngunit, katulad ng posisyon ko sa maraming isyu, hindi kailangan na sumasangayon ako sa lahat ng mga ito. Pinalaki ako ng aking mga magulang na may pagpapahalaga sa malayang pag-iisip at pagpapasya."

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Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday that his relationship with VP Duterte remains unchanged despite the accusations lobbied by her relatives against him.

"It’s exactly the same because (Vice President Duterte) hasn’t said anything of that nature," Marcos Jr. said. "Wala naman siyang sinasabi na ganiyang klase kaya hindi ako nagbabago."

Marcos Jr. also made it clear that he will keep Duterte as his education secretary, for which the vice president expressed her gratitude.

"Taos puso po akong nagpapasalamat kay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. para sa kanyang patuloy na tiwala at kompyansa sa akin bilang kalihim ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon," she said.

"Mahalaga ang kanyang pagkilala sa papel ng lahat ng bumubuo ng Department of Education sa pagsulong ng 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda ng Marcos administration para sa isang Bagong Pilipinas."

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The Vice President also thanked Marcos Jr. for respecting her views especially regarding the controversial People's Initiative.

"Nagpapasalamat in ako kay Apo BBM sa kanyang paggalang sa aking mga paninidigan," she said.

"Katulad na lang ng aking pagtutol sa 'Pera kapalit ng pirma sa People's Initiative' dahil insulto ito sa kahirapan ng ating mga mamamayan at paglabag sa kanilang karapatang magpasya ng malaya."

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Marcos Jr. and Duterte won the 2022 national elections after running as a tandem under a campaign banner called "UniTeam."

Despite recent frictions between their camps, the President insists that the UniTeam "is still there."

"If you remember, UniTeam is not just one party, 2 or 3 parties. It’s the unification of all political forces in the Philippines," he said.

"That is still there. It is still vibrant. It is still working, and we will continue on that basis," he said. -- With reports from Katrina Domingo and Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News

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