Ex-Pres. Duterte dares Marcos to undergo drug test

Former President Rodrigo Duterte has dared President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to undergo drug test in public to prove that he is not a drug user, Unang Balita reported on Wednesday.

"Set it in Luneta Park, magpakuha siya ng dugo doon [from] independent entity or doctor. Magpakuha rin ako, sige pati ako. Pakuha siya ng blood test," Duterte said in a press briefing in Davao City on Tuesday.

(I dare him to have his blood tested in Luneta Park by an independent entity or doctor. I will do the same.)

Duterte also said a Cabinet official uses cocaine with Marcos, and insisted that Marcos was on the watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) -- a claim already denied by PDEA. He also asked Marcos to state why he supposedly underwent rehabilitation in Germany before the start of the campaign period for the 2022 presidential election.

A tough-talking leader who made the war on drugs the center of his administration, Duterte also threatened to publicize the PDEA list once he gets his hands on it.

The former president made the statement after Speaker Martin Romualdez, Marcos' cousin, dared him to prove through evidence his accusation that Marcos is a drug user.

GMA Integrated News is trying to reach out to Marcos for his comment regarding Duterte's latest statements. 

During a prayer rally in Davao City on Sunday, Duterte called Marcos "bangag" (high on illegal drugs) and accused him of being a drug addict, as he warned the administration against amending the Constitution to perpetuate themselves in power.

Marcos has laughed off the accusation, saying it must be the effect of fentanyl, a drug Duterte has admitted to taking during his term as president. 

"It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects," Marcos said of fentanyl.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as a pain reliever and anesthetic. —KBK, GMA Integrated News