President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. said that he is “open” about the possibility of reconciling with Vice President and former UniTeam running-mate Sara Duterte, emphasizing the importance of the country’s political stability.
“I’m always open to any approach, na halika, magtulongan tayo, kahit di tayo magkasundo sa polisiya,” the president said during a podcast interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna.
Are we seeing the opening drumbeats to a political reUNIfication?
Supporters have welcomed this as the president extending an olive branch. Critics and political observers, however, frame it as a calculated move – almost chess-like – amid a shifting post-election landscape.
Some would dare say it was a loss for the administration’s slate.
This podcast-as-platform gesture comes after Marcos’ newly formed coalition, Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, secured only five out of 12 seats in the recently concluded senatorial elections. Five seats went to the Duterte-aligned PDP candidates, while the remaining two were won by liberal-progressives Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan.
This would be an odd olive branch indeed.
Considering that the mostly Marcos-leaning House, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez – a maternal cousin of the President – was the very institution that triggered the proceedings and approved seven articles of impeachment against the Vice President. A trial is set on June 2, with senator judges convening and a House prosecution panel that notably includes newly elected Representatives Chel Diokno and Leila de Lima, two of the most vocal critics of the Duterte family.
Adding fuel to the fire is the surrender of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the International Criminal Court on May 17, a move that triggered backlash from his still-significant support base, ranging from grassroots loyalists to political allies in high office. The development has shaken Duterte’s coalition at a time when his daughter is under legal and political siege.
This now begs the question: Are we seeing the return of the record-breaking UniTeam that secured a landslide victory in the 2022 elections?
Marcos Jr. and Duterte won the presidency and vice presidency with over 31 million and 32 million votes, respectively, marking the largest electoral mandates in Philippine history. However, it’s too early—or perhaps still too raw—to tell.
We will see once proceedings begin and the House prosecutors present their arguments in the impeachment trial of the Vice President. But this candid statement from the President is sure to blow a bit of air to sway things; how hard the wind will blow is anyone’s guess.
