The Marcos-Duterte battle is in full focus as the PHL prepares for the mid-term elections
By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, A reporter
REGISTRATION opened on Tuesday in the Philippines for next year’s midterm elections, headlined by what could be a tight contest between President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and semi-finalist Rodrigo R. Duterte.
17 senators and 15 hopefuls have officially registered to run for office at the satellite office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) inside the Manila Hotel, Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told a news conference.
The May 2025 election will be the ultimate test of Mr. Marcos and the opportunity to consolidate power and marry a successor, which the Duterte family has indicated they are willing to give up after disagreements.
Philippine presidents are limited to one six-year term.
While 317 seats in the House of Representatives and thousands of regional and city positions will be up for grabs among the 18,000 positions, the focus is on 12 seats in the 24-seat Senate, a high-powered chamber that is often filled with political parties. .
It has been speculated that Mr. Duterte, 79, and his two sons will enter the Senate race to try to weaken Mr. Marcos. The office of Mr. Duterte and that of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agreement comes after the collapse of an unstoppable alliance between the two families that succeeded Mr. Marcos is running for election in 2022. Mrs. Carpio had been leading the president in the polls but he chose to be the president of Mr. Marcos. .
But their relationship has turned hostile, due to policy differences, the disclosure of Mr. Duterte has come out in support of China and the investigation into his bloody war on drugs, as well as other scandals involving his colleagues.
Mrs. Carpio resigned from his position in the Cabinet and last week was infamously stripped of two-thirds of his office’s budget by the House led by the President’s cousin, after he refused to attend hearings and objected to scrutiny of his spending.
The Senate seats could give the Dutertes a powerful platform in Filipino populist politics to shore up the coast, challenge Marcos’ rule and launch an investigation into his government.
“Eyes will be on who among them will run… or all of them,” said Ederson Tapia, a professor of public administration at the University of Makati. “The Dutertes, despite the controversies surrounding VP Sara, remain a powerful force.”
Mr. Marcos is strengthening his base by recommending big local names to the Senate, including three movie actresses, the daughter of the country’s richest man, and two of his presidential rivals, among them boxing legend Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao, Sr.
A notable absence from his Senate stable will be his sister Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, who is seeking re-election but refused her brother’s endorsement, which he said was to avoid putting her in a difficult situation.
Jean Encinas-Franco, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said Mr. Marcos during the term could be important in his history.
“If the majority of those who approved it succeed in the Senate and the House, it ensures that his legislative plan will succeed,” he said. “It ensures that he will be strong enough to appoint someone to support him in the 2028 (presidential) election.
Senator Francis N. Tolentino, who is running under the ruling party Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, was the first of the seven re-elected candidates to file his bid.
The list of the Bayan Muna party, which lost its bid for re-election in the last election, wants to return with human rights lawyer Neri J. Colmenares as the first candidate, followed by former Minority Party Deputy Leader Carlos Isagani T. Zarate and representative Ferdinand R. Gaite.
Meanwhile, at a separate petition office in Makati, outgoing Senator Ma. Lourdes “Nancy” S. Binay-Angeles submitted her certificate to the mayor of Makati. Her sister, outgoing Mayor Mer-len Abigail S. Binay-Campos, said her husband was eyeing the position.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez in a Facebook post said he is running for his sixth term in the House as a representative of Leyte. He submitted his certificate to the state.
RULE 12
Meanwhile, the candidates for the senatorial elections in the ruling coalition got 10 out of 12 places in the race, according to a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations.
The survey, commissioned by Stratbase Group, showed that the frontrunner in the race is party-list lawyer Erwin T. Tulfo with 54% of Filipinos likely to vote for him.
He was followed by former Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III with 34%, and Senator Pilar Juliana “Pia” S. Cayetano with 31%.
Hansley A. Juliano, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University, said the Senate’s independence is unlikely to be affected if a majority of candidates wins.
“Intellectually, we have seen before that the Senate, depending on how it is constituted, can choose to represent the President as the lower House or try to fight its independence,” he said. BusinessWorld in a Facebook Messenger chat.
The level of choice of Mr. Duterte dropped to 25% in September from 36% in March, putting him in 4th place.th-5th second place. Also arrested was Senator Marcos, whose support increased by 3 points to 25% in September.
In sixth and seventh place was Senator Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr. and Ex-Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr.
Deputy Speaker of the House and Representative of Las Piñas. Camille Lydia A. Villar-Genuino rose to eighth place in September with 21% from 20th.th-24th place in March.
Ms. Binay-Campos entered the “magic 12” from nine to 10th area, tied with Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid at 20%.
“Dynastic names continue to dominate Senate races because of name recall, position and past advertising record,” said Mr. Juliano. “This level of customerism continues to hurt new voices more and more, even if young people tend to vote for progressives.”
From the management slate, only Mr. Tolentino (14th) and Interior Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr. (16th-17th) failed to enter the 12.
Nominations will end on Oct. 8. — with Reuters
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