Political shakedowns in the Philippines threaten Marcos-Duterte alliance

Rumours of V-P’s possible impeachment, Marcos’ plan to rejoin ICC among issues

- Mara Cepeda

 

Sara MANILA The honeymoon period for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice-President Duterte may soon be over, with analysts saying recent power struggles indicate a growing rift between the two most powerful people in the country.

Both are scions of well-entrenched political clans and heirs of former strongman presidents: Sara is the eldest daughter of Rodrigo Duterte while Ferdinand, the latter's successor, is the only son and namesake of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The second year in office for the so-called "UniTeam" has been rocked by instability - a far cry from election day in May 2022, when they became the first president and vice-president tandem in four decades to secure a majority vote in the Philippines.

The tensions came to a head earlier in November, when Mr Marcos and the House of Representatives he controls made consecutive moves that political analyst Cleve Arguelles of De La Salle University in Manila described as an apparent attack on Ms Duterte.

The House is led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President's cousin and close confidante. He is believed by political pundits to be harbouring presidential ambitions in the 2028 polls, as is Ms Duterte, though both have not explicitly expressed their intentions to seek higher office.

"I definitely think this alliance is already over. For these tensions to be apparent in the public eye, it says a lot about the relationship inside the coalition," Mr Arguelles said.