Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte miting de avance in Iloilo. Image from BBM-Sara Uniteam
MANILA, Philippines — The Uniteam, the presidential campaign team of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, has not met since the 2022 national elections, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday.
Gatchalian made this admission when asked in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart about how Duterte’s resignation from her Education secretary portfolio affects the Uniteam.
“The Uniteam has not met ever since after the elections. The Uniteam is composed of different individuals from different parties — hence (the name) Uniteam — but after the elections, we haven’t really met formally [about] how to move forward with this Uniteam,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) relayed that Duterte resigned from her posts as Education secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
Duterte held a press briefing at the Department of Education’s (DepEd) office to confirm her resignation.
READ: Sara Duterte resigns as DepEd secretary, says Palace
Regarding claims that Duterte stepped down from the DepEd due to the Senate leadership change, Gatchalian maintained that the chamber’s activities are confined to senators only.
“Former Senate president Migz Zubiri is also a member of the Uniteam [in] 2022. We ran in the same 12-slate lineup in 2022, and I don’t think — again, personally, this [is] my own personal opinion — the resignation has anything to do with the change in leadership in the Senate,” he said.
“Typically, this is from my own personal observation, the change in leadership is decided among senators and once you have the majority, or once a majority of senators have the numbers, they can change the leadership,” he added.
Political analysts have speculated that Duterte’s resignation from the Marcos cabinet signals the formal breakup of the Uniteam, from mere tensions in 2023. Questions regarding the tandem’s ties started when Duterte resigned from the political party Lakas-CMD, headed by Marcos’ cousin, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
READ: Sara Duterte resigns from Lakas-CMD
Liberal Party president and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said that Duterte’s resignation was linked to the removal of Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the senior deputy speaker role.
READ: Lagman believes Sara’s party resignation linked to Arroyo ouster
During the deliberations for the 2024 national budget, the confidential fund (CF) requests of the DepEd and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were scrutinized and eventually removed by Congress.
DepEd and OVP requested a CF of P150 million and P500 million, respectively.
READ: House gives zero confidential funds to OVP, DepEd, DICT, DFA, DA
Eventually, Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, grew critical of the Marcos administration. In several instances, the older Duterte accused the President of using illegal drugs and attempting to amend the 1987 Constitution to extend term limits.
READ: ‘It’s the fentanyl,’ Marcos says after former president Duterte tags him ‘drug addict’
READ: Duterte to Marcos: Don’t push your luck on term extension in Cha-cha