Marcos talks unity with only 6 Alyansa Senate bets poised to win
President Marcos on Tuesday called on the winners in the national and local elections to move past the divisions that underlined the campaign season and rise to the shared challenges of governance “with open minds and a common purpose.”
Mr. Marcos quoted his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, in a message posted on social media after the May 12 vote that saw his Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas ticket taking six of the 12 Senate seats, based in partial and unofficial tallies.
“As my father once said: ‘If we are to prevail, we must prevail as Filipinos—for it is the only way to endure. If we are to attain our goals, we must march forward, not to the past but to the future. And we must do this as one family, a nation united,’” the President said, adding:
“Governance is a shared responsibility, a mission that requires unity and burden sharing for the common good. To the newly elected, regardless of party or coalition, I extend my hand. Let us move forward together—with open minds and a common purpose.”
“To those who supported the candidates of Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, thank you for your trust. We may not have won every seat, but our work and mission continue,” the President said.
Aggressive campaigner
Six candidates under Alyansa, a coalition composed of five parties, have made it to the Top 12, but none came from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the party chaired by Mr. Marcos.
They are ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo (4th place), ex-Sen. Panfilo Lacson (7th), ex-Senate President Vicente Sotto III (8th), Sen. Pia Cayetano (9th), Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar (10th), and Sen. Lito Lapid (11th).
Tulfo ran under coalition member Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Sotto and Lapid were fielded by the Nationalist People’s Coalition, while Cayetano and Villar came from the Nacionalista Party. Lacson ran as an independent candidate.
The President actively pitched for the lineup during the 90-day campaign period, joining his candidates on stage in 17 rallies.
Imee, Camille episodes
His sharpest speeches took a swipe at predecessor Rodrigo Duterte—his bloody war on drugs, his pro-China policy, and the frequent cursing and threats in his public statements.
Some of the Alyansa candidates, however, were allies of Duterte during his incumbency.
In March, the President’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, left Alyansa as she questioned the administration’s decision to help the Interpol arrest Duterte in connection with the case he faces at the International Criminal Court for the thousands killed in his antidrug campaign.
Imee, of the Nacionalista Party, was later endorsed by Marcos ally-turned-critic, Vice President Sara Duterte.
Also in the final stretch of the campaign, Villar’s status as an Alyansa member appeared shaky when the President ordered an investigation into the mounting consumer complaints against PrimeWater, a utilities company own by her father, billionaire and former Sen. Manny Villar.
The President did not mention Villar while campaigning for other Alyansa candidates in the rallies in Batangas and Cebu in early May, but later put in a good word for her in the rally in Malolos, Bulacan, and at the coalition’s “miting de avance” in Mandaluyong City last week.
Just like the President’s sister, Villar also got the backing of the Vice President. Villar and Senator Marcos were also adopted as guest candidates of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, which is backed by the elder Duterte.
PH democracy ‘renewed’
In his post-election message, the President thanked Filipinos for exercising their right to vote as part of the democratic process.
“Once again, our democracy has renewed itself—peacefully, orderly and with dignity. It is both a celebration of continuity and a call to act on the real challenges our people face,” he said.
“To [candidates] who did not make it, your courage to stand for public service is deeply respected. Public service goes beyond elections. The work of nation-building needs all who are ready to serve,” Mr. Marcos said.
Still, ‘vote of confidence’
For Alyansa campaign manager and now releected Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, scoring six of the 12 Senate seats was still a “vote of confidence” in the administration as it enters the last half of its tenure.
“The objective of the Alyansa campaign was to rally support for the election of senators who could bring their competence and experience to the Senate and help the administration in its efforts to uplift the welfare of our countrymen,” Tiangco said in a statement
Alyansa “considers the victory of most of our candidates a vote of confidence in the Bagong Pilipinas vision of progress, where all Filipinos can live better lives with real economic opportunities for all.”
