Ex-Philippines leader Duterte assails Marcos, accusing him of plotting to expand grip on power

BY JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is throwing allegations at his successor, Fernando Marcos Jr., and even raising the prospect of removing him from office. The attacks in an expletive-laden speech late Sunday bring into the open a long-rumored split between the two. The populist Duterte alleged Marcos’ legislative allies are plotting to amend the constitution to lift term limits and warned that could lead to him being ousted like his father — the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Duterte also accused Marcos of being a drug addict. Duterte, who became notorious for the harsh crackdown that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead during his presidency, offered no evidence for either charge.