UniTeam

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UniTeam
Leader Bongbong Marcos
Sara Duterte
Senate Leader Robin Padilla
FounderBongbong Marcos
Sara Duterte
FoundedNovember 29, 2021 (2021-11-29)
DissolvedMay 9, 2022
Preceded by Coalition for Change
Succeeded by Bagong Pilipinas (Marcos faction)
DuterTen (Duterte faction)
Ideology Federalism [1]
Filipino nationalism [2]
Populism [3]
Political position Big tent [4]
Coalition members PFP
Lakas–CMD
HNP
PMP
Guest Parties:
Nacionalista
PDP–Laban (Cusi wing)
KBL
PRP
Colors   Red and green
SloganSama-sama tayong babangon muli
transl.Together, we shall rise again
Website
bbmsarauniteam.com

UniTeam was an electoral alliance in the Philippines formed to support the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in the 2022 presidential and vice-presidential elections and their allies in the 2022 Philippine general election. [5] [6] [7] [8] The alliance was formalized on November 29, 2021, with Senator Imee Marcos coining the name UniTeam. [9]

Contents

UniTeam, as an electoral alliance, was dissolved shortly after the landslide victories of both candidates in the 2022 national elections. The term "UniTeam" continued to be used to refer to the relationship between the president and vice president until relations deteriorated following Duterte's resignation from the Marcos cabinet in July 2024 and the antagonistic rhetoric of the Duterte family against Marcos in the subsequent months. [10] [11] The resulting feud between the Marcos and Duterte families has also been termed as "Kadiliman vs. Kasamaan" (lit.'darkness vs. evil') by critics of the Marcos administration, taken from an accidental quote by lawyer Harry Roque. [12] [13] [14] [15]

Coalition members

The alliance consists of four political parties: [5]

PartyAbbreviationIdeologyChairpersonPresident
Hugpong ng Pagbabago [16]
Alliance for Change
HNP Regionalism Sara Duterte
Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats [17]
People Power–Christian Muslim Democrats
Lakas–CMD Christian democracy
Islamic democracy
Conservatism
Filipino nationalism
Federalism [18] [19]
Parliamentarianism
Bong Revilla Jr. Martin Romualdez
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas [20]
Federal Party of the Philippines
PFP Federalism Bongbong Marcos Reynaldo Tamayo Jr.
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino [21]
Force of the Filipino Masses
PMP Populism [22] Joseph Estrada

In addition, the alliance's senatorial slate features guest candidates from the Nacionalista Party, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), PDP–Laban, and People's Reform Party (PRP). Except for the NPC, all of the aforementioned parties are allied with Marcos and Duterte. [23]

Presidential bid

Senatorial slate

UniTeam Slate during an election campaign in Mandaluyong on February 13, 2022 BBM rally Shaw Uniteam slate (Mandaluyong; 02-13-2022).jpg
UniTeam Slate during an election campaign in Mandaluyong on February 13, 2022

Marcos and Duterte have endorsed the following candidates for the 2022 Philippine Senate election, thus who are part of their "senatorial slate": [24] [25] [26]

Candidate name and partyPositionVotesRankingElected
Herbert Bautista
NPC
Former mayor of Quezon City (2010–2019)13,104,71014thNo
Jinggoy Estrada
PMP
Former senator (2004–2016)15,108,62512thYes
Larry Gadon
KBL
Lawyer9,691,60720thNo
Win Gatchalian
NPC
Incumbent senator20,602,6554thYes
Gregorio Honasan
Independent [a]
Former Secretary of Information and Communications Technology (2019–2021)10,643,49118thNo
Loren Legarda
NPC [a]
Member of the House of Representatives from Antique's at-large congressional district 24,264,9692ndYes
Rodante Marcoleta
PDP–Laban
(withdrew [27] )
Member of the House of Representatives from 1–SAGIP Party List 3,591,899 (stray votes [27] ) [b] No
Robin Padilla
PDP–Laban
Actor26,612,4341stYes
Harry Roque
PRP
Former presidential spokesperson (2017–2018, 2020–2021)11,246,20617thNo
Gilbert Teodoro
PRP
Former Secretary of National Defense (2007–2009)12,788,47915thNo
Mark Villar
Nacionalista
Former Secretary of Public Works and Highways (2016–2021)19,475,5926thYes
Migz Zubiri
Independent
Incumbent senator18,734,3368thYes
  1. 1 2 Guest candidate
  2. Rodante Marcoleta withdrew after the ballots have been printed.

Result by island group

Luzon

CandidatePartyVotes%RankTop 12
Loren Legarda NPC 14,409,13146.60%1Yes
Robin Padilla PDP-Laban 14,182,78545.87%2Yes
Win Gatchalian NPC 12,419,07640.17%5Yes
Mark Villar Nacionalista 10,937,11735.37%7Yes
Migz Zubiri Independent 9,751,77931.54%10Yes
Jinggoy Estrada PMP 8,515,48827.54%12Yes
Herbert Bautista NPC 7,947,38425.70%14No
Gilbert Teodoro PRP 6,737,56621.79%17No
Gregorio Honasan Independent 6,452,63320.87%18No
Larry Gadon KBL 6,067,02819.62%19No
Harry Roque PRP 5,852,43018.93%21No
Turnout30,917,665100.00%

Visayas

CandidatePartyVotes%RankTop 12
Loren Legarda NPC 4,639,49140.20%2Yes
Robin Padilla PDP-Laban 4,608,10239.92%3Yes
Migz Zubiri Independent 3,805,23332.97%5Yes
Win Gatchalian NPC 3,781,48432.76%6Yes
Mark Villar Nacionalista 3,688,63631.96%7Yes
Gilbert Teodoro PRP 2,594,72622.48%12Yes
Jinggoy Estrada PMP 2,587,70622.42%13No
Herbert Bautista NPC 2,244,04319.44%15No
Harry Roque PRP 2,044,28217.71%16No
Gregorio Honasan Independent 1,821,56215.78%18No
Larry Gadon KBL 1,441,62912.49%22No
Turnout11,542,445100.00%

Mindanao

CandidatePartyVotes%RankTop 12
Robin Padilla PDP-Laban 7,753,05260.12%1Yes
Migz Zubiri Independent 5,059,71239.23%2Yes
Loren Legarda NPC 4,889,04637.91%3Yes
Mark Villar Nacionalista 4,542,22635.22%4Yes
Win Gatchalian NPC 4,222,45532.74%7Yes
Jinggoy Estrada PMP 3,853,66929.88%8Yes
Gilbert Teodoro PRP 3,174,45124.61%11Yes
Harry Roque PRP 3,044,96823.61%13No
Herbert Bautista NPC 2,712,23521.03%15No
Gregorio Honasan Independent 2,160,48416.75%16No
Larry Gadon KBL 1,859,32014.42%19No
Turnout12,896,983100.00%

Aftermath

It was clarified that the UniTeam was only made for the purpose of the 2022 election, [28] and no formal meeting has been held among its members as an alliance since then. [29]

UniTeam's Lakas-CMD formed the majority of the House of Representative's 19th Congress. This was the first time a vice president's party leads the lower house, although Marcos' Partido Federal ng Pilipinas is part of the coalition. [30] Out of the twelve upcoming members of the 24-seat Senate, only Risa Hontiveros formed part of the opposition. [31]

Vice President Sara Duterte was appointed as Marcos' first Secretary of Education after they both took office in mid-2022, [32] although she preferred to be Secretary of Defense. [33] Over the next two years, Duterte's relationship with Marcos' allies deteriorated, particularly with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Marcos' wife and first lady Liza Araneta. [32] She resigned in May 2023 from Lakas–CMD where she served as chairperson. Lakas is part of the ruling coalition. [34] [35]

In January 2024, President Marcos insisted that the UniTeam is still "vibrant", referring to his working relationship with his deputy. [36]

Duterte tendered resignation from her position as education secretary in June 2024. [37] When asked about her friendship with Marcos in September 2024, she said they were never friends and merely running mates in the 2022 elections. [38] Marcos responded expressing he was "deceived" about their supposed friendship. [39] In October 2024, she detailed her fallout with Marcos, who she says "does not know how to be president". [40] [41]

See also

References

  1. Mercado, Neil Arwin (January 25, 2022). "Federal gov't system fits PH but Cha-cha 'difficult' – Marcos Jr". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  2. "'Youth crucial in Bongbong-Sara UniTeam's push for national unity'". BusinessMirror. December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  3. "Duterte vs Marcos' brand of populism: How do they differ?". CNN . June 30, 2022. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022.
  4. "Marcos, Duterte highlight 'unity' as election campaign kicks off". CNN Philippines . February 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Four political parties forge UniTeam alliance pact for Bongbong-Sara tandem". Manila Bulletin. November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  6. "Marcos-Duterte 'Uniteam' seals 2022 alliance". Rappler. November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  7. Yang, Angelica; Mendoza, John Eric (November 25, 2021). "4 parties form 'UniTeam' alliance for Bongbong Marcos – Sara Duterte tandem". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  8. Palicte, Che (November 25, 2021). "4 parties link up for BBM-Sara's 'UniTeam'". Philippine News Agency . Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  9. Cruz, RG (June 9, 2023). "Imee confirms she convinced Sara to run as Marcos Jr's VP". ABS-CBN News . Manila: ABS-CBN Corporation . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  10. Panti, Llanesca T. (June 19, 2024). "Uniteam no more: Timeline of Marcos-Duterte tandem's woes". GMA News Online . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  11. Upon, Melanie (November 26, 2024). "TIMELINE: How the once solid 'UniTeam' fell apart". PhilSTAR Life (in English and Filipino). Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  12. Esmaquel II, Paterno A. (September 1, 2024). "[The Wide Shot] Beyond 'Team Kadiliman' vs 'Team Kasamaan'". Rappler . Rappler Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2025. 'Hindi na po 'to laban ng Duterte at Marcos. Ang laban po ngayon ay puwersa ng kadiliman laban sa puwersa ng… (This is no longer a fight between Duterte and Marcos. This is a fight between the forces of darkness against the forces of…),' Roque yelled, asking his followers to complete his sentence. 'Kasamaan (Evil)!' his followers responded in chorus.
  13. Esguerra, Christian (January 9, 2025). COMMENTARY: Team Kadiliman o Team Kasamaan?. YouTube (in Filipino and English). Google LLC. Event occurs at 4:15. Retrieved June 6, 2025. That is the context between Team Kadiliman and Team Kasamaan. No need to choose, because there are some haughty analysts out there. They are saying an assortment of stuff, with so much drama as well. Don't do that. No need to choose in the fight against what is wrong.
  14. Altermidya (May 9, 2025). "'Labanan ang Kadiliman at Kasamaan'" ['Fight Darkness and Evil']. Facebook (in Filipino). Meta Platforms Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  15. Bondoc, Darius (May 27, 2025). "Kadiliman vs Kasamaan". Pilipino Star Ngayon (in Filipino). Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved June 6, 2025. Nag-viral ang nakatatawang video. Mula noon ay binansagan nang 'Kadiliman versus Kasamaan' ang puwersang Marcos kontra Duterte.
  16. "Hugpong vows to 'do more' for Marcos in Davao, as some incumbents pick Robredo". RAPPLER. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  17. Tolentino, Ma Reina Leanne (November 25, 2021). "Lakas adopts BBM as presidential bet". The Manila Times. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  18. "Romualdez reaffirms support for Duterte's federalism agenda". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 5, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  19. Manalastas, Jester P. (June 5, 2019). "Federalism push renewed". Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  20. "BBM's Partido Federal ng Pilipinas adopts Sara as vice presidential bet". Manila Bulletin. November 13, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  21. "Four political parties forge UniTeam alliance pact for Bongbong-Sara tandem". Manila Bulletin. November 25, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  22. Dayley, Robert (2016). Southeast Asia In The New International Era. Avalon. ISBN   9780813350110 . Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  23. Punay, Edu. "Parties allied with BBM-Sara Duterte call for honest elections". Philstar.com. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  24. "Gadon, Marcoleta, Zubiri added to Marcos-Duterte senatorial slate". CNN Philippines. January 20, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  25. "Marcos-Duterte tandem adopts Gringo Honasan in Senate slate". ABS-CBN News. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  26. Valente, Catherine S. (March 13, 2022). "Robin Padilla now a guest candidate of UniTeam – Sara". The Manila Times. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  27. 1 2 Cruz, RG; Abarro, Mico (April 27, 2024). "UniTeam senate bet Marcoleta withdraws from #Halalan2022: Comelec". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  28. Suelto, Diana Lhyd (June 12, 2024). "Sara: UniTeam good only for 2022 Polls". Philstar . Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  29. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (June 20, 2024). "Gatchalian: Uniteam hasn't met since 2022 polls". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  30. "Duterte, Romualdez-led Lakas-CMD to dominate House under Marcos". Rappler. June 20, 2024. Archived from the original on July 5, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  31. Villaruel, Jauhn Etienne (May 18, 2022). "Halalan 2022: Comelec officially proclaims 12 newly elected senators". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  32. 1 2 Panti, Llanesca (June 19, 2024). "Uniteam no more: Timeline of Marcos-Duterte tandem's woes". GMA News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  33. "Sara ditches preferred defense post to avoid stability 'intrigues'". BusinessWorld. May 12, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  34. Galvez, Daphne (May 19, 2023). "Sara Duterte resigns from Lakas-CMD". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  35. Leon, Dwight de (May 19, 2023). "Uniteam no more? House squabble puts spotlight on 2025, 2028 elections". Rappler. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  36. "Marcos: UniTeam still vibrant, still working". GMA News. January 30, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  37. Tulad, Victoria (June 20, 2024). "'Nabasag 'yung UniTeam': Duterte resignation saddens lawmaker" ['UniTeam shaterred': Duterte resignation saddens lawmaker]. ABS-CBN News (in English and Filipino). Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  38. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (September 18, 2024). "VP Duterte on President Marcos: We're not talking, we're not friends". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  39. Subingsubing, Krixia (October 12, 2024). "'I was deceived,' Marcos says of VP Sara's 'friendship'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  40. Servallos, Neil Jayson (October 19, 2024). "President Marcos doesn't know how to be president — VP Sara". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  41. Chi, Cristina (October 18, 2024). "'Drag me to hell': Sara Duterte gets personal in fiery tell-all vs Marcos". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 20, 2024.