Former President Rodrigo Duterte has responded to President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s drug use allegation against him, saying that he used fentanyl for his medication prescribed by his doctor.
In a press conference on Wednesday, January 31, Duterte recalled that his doctor prescribed him fentanyl to ease his spinal pain after getting into an motor accident.
"Ako nagkadisgraya ako sa motor. Just before, a few months I campaign for the presidency, nagkaroon ako ng spinal, maybe [dahil] sa motor. One of the things that was prescribed since I was in pain, before tinusok ako dito, I was given fentanyl , doon ako nakilala ang fentanyl," he shared.
The former president urged his successor to do his research about fentanyl.
"Mr. President, you might want to read the synopsis of fentanyl diyan sa cellphone mo. fentanyl is a medical thing. It eases up the pain. Ngayon, nilalagay 'yan to ease the pain. Pero noong naoperahan na ako, okay na ako, okay na ako and that was about 7 or 8 years ago, shortly before I run for the presidency," he stressed.
Duterte blatantly asked Marcos if his cocaine is prescribed by a doctor.
"'Yung cocaine, may prescription ba 'yan? Saan mo kinukuha 'yung supply mo?" he said.
Meanwhile, the former president believes that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) only refused to release its drug watchlist with Marcos' name included.
PDEA had said that the President "is and was never" on its narco list or the Inter-Agency Drug Information Database.
Duterte vowed to release the drug watchlist once he secured a copy.
"When I was a mayor, lumapit sila, they are worried that you are a Marcos. Sabi nila, 'Paano ito, Sir?'. Sabi ko, 'Hayaan mo na'. Baka yung record tinabi na talaga pero alangan itabi lahat iyan, magi-iwan yan ng copy. Nandyan iyan," he added.
