Like most of the presidents who preceded him, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. began moves on Thursday to consolidate his political machinery 20 months ahead of the May 12, 2025, midterm elections.
The President inducted 14 provincial governors into the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, a minor party founded in 2018 that had never won an election before Marcos garnered more than 31.6 million votes last year.
The party’s new members included the President’s son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos III, who bolted the Nacionalista Party to help in party building.
Among the others who were inducted into the party at Malacañang on Thursday were Bukidnon Gov. Rogelio Neil Roque, Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco, Aurora Gov. Christian Noveras, Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Occidental Mindoro Gov. Eduardo Gadiano, Camarines Norte Gov. Ricarte Padilla; Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman, Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado, Lanao del Norte Gov. Imelda Dimaporo, Davao de Oro Gov. Dorothy Gonzaga; Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua, Laguna Vice Gov. Katherine Agapay, Secretary Lope Santos III and Girlie Amarillo of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, and Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arlan Mangelen.
Federalist governance
Marcos, who was named party chair before the 2022 elections, welcomed the new members with a promise to continue implementing federalist governance.
“We have turned what was a minor party in the political spectrum into a majority party in the country,” Marcos said after inducting the new members and officers.
Marcos said “the stability of a political structure is much more reliable when we have many power centers.”
“That derives from a very simple idea that the stability of a political structure is much more reliable when we have many power centers. If the power centers only belong here in Manila, then if Manila falls, the entire Philippines would fall,” he said.
“So, we are doing the first step of federal government for the Philippines in all but name, and that is what we will continue to do,” he added.
Also present were South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo, party president since 2019, and Sen. Francis Tolentino.
Notably absent from the event and the list of officers was party founder John Castriciones, a former interior secretary who was one of the key political operators of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Party officials who were inducted to new terms were secretary general Thompson Lantion, secretary general Pablo Dario Ocampo, vice president Manuel Andal, national auditor Edgardo Acaba, and lawyers George Briones, Richard Brett Uy, Rico Alday and Lino Dumas.