Vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte welcomed on Thursday, Nov. 25 the UniTeam alliance formed by four of the country’s political parties, saying that their agreement will cut across political colors for the sake of Filipinos.
“As your Vice Presidential candidate, I am proud of this agreement that powerfully illustrates leadership transcending throughout political colors,” Duterte said, referring to the signing of the UniTeam Alliance agreement that committed support for candidacies of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos and the city executive.
Aside from PFP, other signatories of the coalition pact were the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and the Hugpong ng Pagbabago.
Mayor Duterte chairs Lakas-CMD and HNP, which she helped establish as a regional political party in Davao region.
“This alliance does not only show our firm aspirations for the country. It also echoes loudly of our triumph to peacefully unite and stand side by side in the pursuit of continued development and positive change for our fellow Filipinos and the Philippines,” stated Duterte.
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She pointed out that the UniTeam has achieved unity amid the "political noise and bickering” that have blurred the problems confronting Filipinos.
"The UniTeam has done something remarkable in a time when political noise and bickering drown the issues and problems confronting the Filipino people — that is, to forge a partnership as one organization, setting aside political rivalries and differences, to become strong partners of the people and the nation,” the presidential daughter said.
IN the same event, House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president, said the coalition launched yesterday is just the beginning for the UniTeam.
“We dream of a grand coalition of national and regional parties with local alliances that share our vision of a better future for this generation and the next,” said Romualdez.
Romualdez said choosing to support Marcos’ presidential bid has been based on what Lakas-CMD believe he can do for the country.
"We need leaders who have solid background in public service. We need leaders with a clear vision on how to keep Filipino families safe and the Philippine economy growing and expanding,” he said.
For his part, HNP president and Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista described the Marcos-Duterte as a partnership “really made in heaven.” “I hope ito na ang pasimula ng pagsasama ng malalaking organisasyon sa pulitika sa Pilipinas. Ito ay isang daan para lalo nating mapaunlad ang ating bansa (I hope this is the start of unity among big political organizations in the Philippines,” said Bautista.
Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada and South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo also declared the support of their political parties, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and PFP, respectively, to the Bongbong-Sara tandem.