Election 2022 was stirred up after some politicians filed their candidacy through substitution, forming new heated tandems namely: Marcos-Sara Duterte, Robredo-Pangilinan, Moreno-Ong, Pacquiao-Atienza, and Lacson-Sotto.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte filed his candidacy for senator after ditching his previously announced retirement plan that sealed the speculations of him running against his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. The latter withdrew her candidacy for the mayoral post in Davao City to run for vice president in tandem with Bongbong Marcos. President Duterte will run under Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) party.
Marcos-Sara Tandem
The partnership between the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) was officially sealed on Wednesday, November 24 when the former adopted a resolution welcoming Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as its presidential candidate.
The party also officially confirmed in the resolution that incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will be its vice presidential bet. On November 25, the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) joined the existing coalition of PFP and Lakas-CMD.
The collaborating parties named their coalition “The UniTeam Alliance,” which is based on one of the existing themes of Marcos’ presidential campaign—to establish a “unifying leadership” after the COVID-19 pandemic. The alliance pledges to pursue good governance, economic reforms to reboot and revive the economy, national unification and healing, and address other major problems the Philippines faces.
Robredo-Pangilinan Tandem
Incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo also vies for the presidency in 2022, but not as the standard-bearer of the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP) that she chairs. She is running as an independent candidate which she has described as a “symbolic” way of showing she is open to forming alliances with other parties. She pairs with Senator Francis Pangilinan, who said that the Liberal Party still considers her as their standard-bearer. The tandem hails themselves as the “true opposition.”
Pangilinan said in an interview with Rappler that Robredo’s “being an independent candidate is the best way of showing the citizens that everybody must get in, not just politicians, not just political parties, but ordinary citizens can also participate.”
Robredo, who has long been identified with yellow, chose pink as her campaign color, saying that it symbolizes both a protest and a change in leadership while paying tribute to what she describes as a groundswell of public support. Pangilinan, meanwhile, donned green for his advocacy for agriculture and farmers’ welfare.
Moreno-Ong Tandem
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso will run under Aksyon Demokratiko party, where he is party president. He is accompanied by the online personality and physician Willie Ong as his running-mate.
Domagoso vows to take a more humane approach to the government’s campaign against illegal drugs should he win the people’s mandate in next year’s polls. The tandem eyes to focus on life and livelihood, address minimum basic needs, and invest in the human development index.
Pacquiao-Atienza Tandem
Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, the eight-division boxing world champion, is the standard-bearer for PDP-Laban party. Alongside him is former three-term Manila city mayor, environment and natural resources secretary, and incumbent Buhay party-list representative, Lito Atienza.
The two promise to focus on fighting corruption, providing homes for the homeless, land for the landless, and better income for all Filipinos. They believe in offering better jobs for all Filipinos to stop their search for greener pastures outside the country.
Atienza stated “I only want to become Vice President to Manny Pacquiao because simply I know him well, I know that he cannot fail the Filipinos. He will give them [a] better life and a graft and corruption-free government. Pacquiao can unite the Filipinos.”
“I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring,” Pacquiao said in a live-streamed speech.
Lacson-Sotto Tandem
Senator Panfilio “Ping” Lacson, the chairman of the Partido Reporma Party runs for presidency alongside Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the chairman of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Both candidates are running under the political mantra of reforming the national government through the Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program. The program will give local government units more influence over the National Expenditure Program to give way for countryside development.
“One of its goals is to provide support to the agricultural industry, which remains vulnerable to economic pressures and natural calamities,” Sotto said.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) presidential bet whose bid was supported and endorsed by the president, announced his withdrawal from the race last Tuesday morning.
“Marahil po, hindi ko pa po panahon para maging presidente (Perhaps it’s not time for me to be president),” Go said in an interview.
He also said that his family is against his decision to join the presidential race and that he doesn’t want to burden President Duterte.
His withdrawal from the race would leave his party without a candidate for the presidency. The PDDS party thus bared that it would leave its doors open for options.
