Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. INQUIRER PHOTOS/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The Santiago-Marcos tandem in 2016 is still on.
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday defended his reported attempts to partner with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte despite Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s earlier announcement that Marcos was her vice presidential running mate.
“By her (Santiago) definition, we are in a loose coalition. I think that is a product of the way politics here has evolved,” Marcos said in an interview with Cavite Rep. Boying Remulla and Teddy Locsin on dzRH radio.
For Marcos, the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, joining more than one political coalition is justifiable given the nature of Philippine politics.
“We have very unique elections. Party machinery no longer works as much as before,” said Marcos, whose ultimate goal, many believe, is to return his family to Malacañang.
According to Marcos, he has observed on his provincial sorties that local officials will never give their support to an entire party.
“They make their own choices. Nobody follows the party line,” he said, describing the Filipino penchant for cherry-picking names or personalities rather than a single party to vote for during elections.
“That is why senatorial candidates can easily cross over to another party,” Marcos said.
“You look at the senatorial lineups of the parties, no senator is going exclusive to one party. All parties have guest candidates,” he said.
Duterte apparently turned down Marcos’ last-ditch effort to become his running mate.
READ: Duterte rebuffs Marcos Jr. / Alan Cayetano on Marcos stalking Duterte: Am not jealous
The tough-talking Davao City mayor told the Inquirer in an interview on Thursday that he was choosing Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano over Marcos while he was on a plane seated next to Marcos.
Marcos explained that what he was doing was seeking Duterte’s endorsement at a time when he thought Duterte was not running for President.
“I was hoping that he would endorse me for my vice presidential candidacy and hopefully that would give me extra votes,” he said.
“He is strong in Mindanao and Cebuano-speaking areas,” he explained.
The 58-year-old senator described the 70-year-old mayor as a close friend. “Every time I go to Davao, I always see the mayor because we have been friends for a very long time,” he said.
He said the two of them would chat over coffee or a meal.
In previous interviews, Marcos said Duterte had agreed to lend his support for his vice-presidential run.
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