Political drama in the Philippines

There is nothing inauspicious if presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos decided to run as “independent” in her re-election bid in the coming May 2025 national and local polls. For her second term bid in the Senate, Imee was included in the 12-man Senate slate of the administration’s “Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas” banner. Last Thursday (Sept. 26), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) raised the hands of the Alyansa senatoriables, except Sen. Imee, who was conspicuously absent from the proclamation rally held at neutral grounds in Pasay City.

As the nominal chieftain of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), PBBM also headed the newly formed coalition of five political parties under the alliance named after his administration’s flagship brand. Calling herself as the “super Ate” of the President, Imee announced a few days later she has decided to run as independent. Turning 69 years old this November, Imee currently belongs to the Nacionalista Party (NP), touted as the oldest political party in the Philippines.

Imee has sided and has been staunchly defending Vice President Sara Duterte, who resigned from PBBM’s Cabinet last July. The President’s sister has been publicly declaring she will remain a loyal ally and friend of the VP despite the latter’s officially cutting off from the UniTeam that carried them to victory in the May 2022 elections. Imee has aligned herself with VP Sara, who has been under fire for questionable expenditures of “confidential funds” during her watch as Department of Education secretary and as well on the questioned use of confidential funds at the OVP.

As stated from the outset, there is nothing dramatic about Sen. Imee’s announcement running as an independent candidate. As early as last Aug. 30, it was former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson who first declared he is going to run as an independent candidate in the Senate race. Singson is making another run for the Senate. His first run – he lost – was in the May 2007 Senate race under the 12-man Unity Team fielded then by president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led by the Lakas-CMD as the administration party in power.

Before Imee’s official breakaway announcement, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, also included in PBBM’s Alyansa senatorial line-up, much earlier made a similar declaration. “I am running as an independent candidate, not being a member of a political party,” Lacson said in a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) social media page on Friday.

However, Lacson clarified that he, along with former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and re-electionist Senator Lito Lapid, are “guest candidates” of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). Drafted into the NPC Senate slate is Makati Mayor Abigail Binay. The NPC, headed by Sotto as party chieftain, joined the alliance of five major political parties that included the PFP, the NP and the NPC, the Lakas-CMD and the National Unity Party (NUP).

“I have no doubt in my mind that should I win next year, President Marcos fully recognizes my consistent role as a fiscalizer guided only by our shared motto: ‘Ang tama ay ipaglaban; ang mali ay labanan’,” Lacson vowed.

Incidentally, Lacson and Sotto ran in tandem but lost to the Marcos-Duterte UniTeam in the May 2022 presidential elections. Likewise a loser in the same election is come-backing senator Manny Pacquiao, who ran but lost as the presidential standard-bearer of the PDP-Laban. He, too, is now running in PBBM’s Alyansa.

Recently unseated from the Duterte-led PDP-Laban bloc, Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino was the first among the seven re-electionist senators to file yesterday his certificate of candidacy (COC). Now belonging to the PFP, Tolentino submitted his COC on the first day of this week-long event of the Commission on Elections being staged at The Tent of the Manila Hotel.

Completing the Alyansa Senate ticket are: Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos (PFP); re-electionist Senators Pia Cayetano (NP) and Ramon “Bong’ Revilla Jr. (Lakas-CMD); House deputy speaker Rep. Camille Villar of Las Piñas City and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo.

Speaking of Tulfo, another Tulfo announced last week his Senate bid. Ben Tulfo, older brother of Erwin, will run also as an independent candidate, without any fuss, if I may add.

A broadcast and print journalist like his brothers Erwin and Ramon, Ben Tulfo, 69 years old, is the middle child of the ten siblings – seven Tulfo brothers and three sisters. Ben deemed it fitting to announce his Senate bid during a visit to his birthplace in Marawi City, where he was conferred the “Honorable Son of Marawi” citation last week.

Known as “Bitag” (name of his long-running radio-TV program and column), Ben landed No. 2 in the latest OCTA Research senatorial survey. Ben garnered 57 percent of potential voters in the recent Octa mock polls, next to Erwin as topnotcher with 60 percent. So Ben and Erwin are actually statistically tied at No. 1, with plus or minus 3 percent margin of error.

Raffy has enlisted their eldest brother Ramon to be his political adviser. If both Ben and Erwin make it to the “Magic 12” in next year’s elections, they will join another brother, incumbent Senator Raffy, in the 20th Congress. Should this happen, it will be the first in the Philippine Senate – there will be three Tulfo brothers.

Not affiliated with any political party, Ben told us he isn’t bothered running as an independent candidate. As far as Ben is concerned, the Tulfo’s are known for their independence of mind, especially if it involves the protection of the weak, the marginalized and poor folks who ask for their help.

Having run independently many times in past elections, PBBM similarly shrugged off his “Manang” Imee’s tantrums to run as independent in her re-election bid at the Senate. “The Alyansa is still behind her. We are still continuing to support her. And if down the road she chooses to join us in our campaign sorties, she is of course very welcome,” PBBM remarked.

We are just seeing yet another political drama that will further unfold in the run-up to the May 12, 2025 elections.