MANILA, Philippines — Former President and Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) chairman Rodrigo Duterte has once again accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being addicted to illegal drugs, suggesting that by the time Marcos reaches 80, he may “no longer be moving.”

Duterte made the statement during the proclamation rally of PDP senatorial candidates at Club Filipino in San Juan City on Thursday.

“Merong isang presidente na talagang bangag. [Merong] buang, pero ‘yung bisyo ng droga long term ‘yan. Maging ulol si Marcos. Maybe constant use of heroin — aabot pa siguro siya ng 80, pero sa panahon na ‘yan, hindi na siya gumagalaw,” Duterte said.

“Either nakatindig lang yan sa kwarto niya or natutulog,” he added.

In 2024, Duterte directly claimed during a candlelight prayer rally that Marcos was an addict.

During the 2022 campaign period, Marcos underwent two drug tests—one at the Philippine National Police laboratory and another at St. Luke’s Medical Center. Both tests yielded negative results.

While Duterte did not explicitly name Marcos during the 2022 elections, he later became more vocal about his allegations. The former president also claimed that Marcos Jr. was involved in the illegal drug trade.

However, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) refuted Duterte’s statements, asserting that the incumbent president “is not and was never” on its drug watchlist.

“It is worthwhile to note that, when the former President took over in 2016, his administration came out with a list, which was then initially called the ‘narco-list,’ sometimes referred to as the Duterte list, and upon continuing validation and revalidation, it became the Inter-Agency Drug Information Database or IDI,” the PDEA said.

PDEA noted  that Marcos is “also not in the said list.”