Marcos, Franco Mabanta ‘not friends’; Palace points to his Duterte ties

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang appeared to distance President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from his previous engagements with social media operator Franco Mabanta, who was arrested by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for alleged extortion. In a press briefing in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu province on Wednesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said the president