Marcos-backed alliance told to fill spot left by Imee with opposition bet

GOVERNMENT-BACKED senatorial candidates could benefit by filling the spot left by re-electionist Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos with an independent or opposition bet, boosting the coalition’s image as a unity ticket, political analysts said.

This could let administration candidates tap into a wider voter base, improving their chances of securing Senate seats, they added.

“The narrative of offering a spot to the opposition can actually benefit them,” Hansley A. Juliano, who teaches political science at the Ateneo de Manila University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.�� “It helps project the image of magnanimity consistent with their unity narrative.”

Ms. Marcos, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s sister, withdrew from the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (Alliance for a New Philippines) ticket last week, saying she could no longer stand on the same platform as her former peers.

Her withdrawal came weeks after the arrest of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte on the strength of an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his deadly war on drugs.

There were speculations last month that the administration alliance was in talks with some independent candidates, a rumor swiftly dismissed by both camps.

“This is not new,” Mr. Juliano said. “Traditional politics and liberal politics have co-existed for decades.”

“They can synthesize the unity narrative with civil opposition,” Anthony Lawrence A. Borja, an associate political science professor at De La Salle University in Manila, said in via Messenger chat.

Opposition candidates might face criticism from their supporters for joining the administration slate, but they could justify it by underscoring the need to advance their agenda, he added.

“It might contribute to both the disillusionment of the liberal-progressive opposition towards their traditional heads,” Mr. Borja said. “Nonetheless… they could simply excuse it as ‘playing the game’ and being practical.”

A potential alliance between the administration and opposition could prompt the Duterte camp to claim that it’s being “ganged up” against, Arjan P. Aguirre, who teaches political science at the Ateneo, said in a Messenger chat.

“The end goal here is again to make it appear that the Dutertes are being persecuted by the administration and being ganged up by all its enemies,” he said.

There has been a deepening political feud between the Marcoses and Dutertes, two of the country’s most influential families. Their alliance started crumbling last year after the House of Representatives stripped Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio of hundreds of millions of pesos worth of intelligence and confidential funds for 2025.

The rift culminated in Mr. Duterte’s arrest by Philippine police last month. Weeks earlier, congressmen impeached Ms. Duterte, the ex-President’s daughter, for alleged corruption.

The Duterte camp may use such a political pairing to strengthen their narrative that they’re the “true opposition” against the Marcos government, Mr. Aguirre said.

More than 69 million Filipinos will pick a new set of congressmen, 12�� of the 24-member Senate and thousands of local officials on May 12.

Nine of the 12 senatorial candidates endorsed by Mr. Marcos made it to the top 13 of the midterm election race, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll conducted just days after the arrest of Mr. Duterte.

Re-electionist Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, who is not part of the administration slate, and Party-list Rep. Erwin T. Tulfo, who is part of the government ticket, were tied at the top.

Only 12 senators will win in the May 12 elections, but three candidates were tied for No. 11, 12 and 13. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio