Marcos insists ‘Uniteam’ remains intact despite word war with Dutertes

MANILA, Philippines — The so-called “Uniteam” coalition is still intact and functional, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said after signs of cracks in his alliance with the Dutertes emerged.

Marcos maintained that his relationship with Vice President Sara Duterte is “exactly the same” even after he and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, engaged in a war of words.

“If you remember ‘Uniteam’ is not just one party or two parties or three parties. It’s the unification of all political, hopefully all political forces in the Philippines to come together for the good [of] the country,” Marcos said. 

“And that is still there. It is still vibrant. It is still working, and we will continue,” he added. 

The president also said that Sara will retain her post as the country’s education chief. 

The Marcoses and the Dutertes formed an alliance ahead of the 2022 elections. Since then, however, their relationship has seemingly fractured ahead of next year’s midterm polls and the 2028 presidential race. 

On Sunday, former president Duterte launched a tirade against Marcos over a campaign to change the Constitution. He accused his successor of being a “drug addict” without evidence and of trying to amend the Constitution to extend his term.

The Duterte patriarch also warned Marcos that pursuing charter change could lead to his ouster, similar to what happened to his dictator father. 

Marcos struck back at his predecessor, suggesting the former leader’s use of fentanyl had taken a toll on his health. 

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the vice president’s brother, also called for Marcos’ resignation over the weekend. 

In a statement Monday, Sara said her brother did it out of “brotherly love, coupled [with] the common sentiment that I do not deserve the despicable treatment that I am receiving from some sectors within the circle of the president.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France-Presse