Philippine politics has always provided a vibrant tapestry of different colors, alliances, and switching sides. Filipinos had grown tired of the usual, so when two political icons from the North and the South promised to break the mold, the majority rallied behind them and catapulted them to the top of the food chain.

The Marcos-Duterte tandem won the 2022 elections by a landslide with the promise of unity to bring the country forward. But this once formidable partnership, called "UniTeam," collapsed this year due to supposed personal grievances, policy disagreements, and political maneuvering that had the nation enamored as the months unfolded.

The signs of discord emerged subtly. In May 2023, Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) as its chairperson and member after Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 'demotion' in the House of Representatives.

Duterte then warned the public through a cryptic Instagram post against people who are "tambaloslos," a Bisayan term that she explained may be interpreted as a joke or an insult. People online were quick to assume that the Vice President was referring to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, but she did not confirm nor deny this.

The seeming beef between Duterte and Romualdez continued when the former refused to mention President Marcos' middle name, Romualdez, at an event in June 2023. Despite this, she said she "loved" the President.

In September 2023, issues surrounding the Office of the Vice President (OVP)'s budget and confidential funds worth P125 million arose. During House budget deliberations, it was revealed that the confidential funds were spent in just 11 days in 2022. With this, the House leaders said they were considering realigning the proposed P500-million OVP confidential funds.

The following month, Vice President Duterte said that those against confidential funds were enemies of peace and, thus, also enemies of the state. Days later, the House of Representatives stripped five agencies, including the OVP, of confidential funds in the proposed 2024 budget.

The subtle signs of discord evolved and turned for the worse in January 2024 when father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, in a prayer rally in Davao City, accused President Marcos of being a drug addict, which the latter attributed to his predecessor's long-term use of fentanyl.

In February, Vice President Duterte said she and President Marcos had no problems despite her father's outrageous claims. Marcos said the same thing in March and even defended Duterte over criticisms for not speaking out against Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea in April.

Months after keeping her silence, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos defended her husband and admitted in an interview in April that her view of the Vice President had changed after she was seen laughing at former president Duterte's remarks in the said prayer rally. Despite this, Vice President Duterte said she respected the First Lady's opinions.

Despite the deepening rift, Marcos refused to heed calls to replace Duterte as the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), saying she was good at her job.

The situation took a dramatic turn in June 2024 when Vice President Duterte shocked the public when she stepped down as DepEd secretary. She later said the UniTeam was dead, as she and Marcos had already won the elections. The following month, the Vice President officially left the Marcos Cabinet, and the probe into the OVP's confidential funds continued.

In October, President Marcos said he could not help but feel "deceived" after Vice President Duterte said she was not friends with him despite them running together and winning the 2022 elections. In response, Duterte said the Marcoses used her to win the elections.

The high-profile fallout grabbed the world's attention in November 2024, when Vice President Duterte, in an expletive-laced Zoom presser, revealed that she had hired an assassin to take out the First Couple and House Speaker Romualdez should plans to kill her succeed. Duterte also claimed that Romualdez wanted her dead.

The Philippine authorities were quick to respond to the death threat against the First Couple. Investigations were launched, and the security for Marcos was heightened.

President Marcos, for the first time, hit back at Duterte, saying things would not have gone sour if she had cooperated during the budget hearings. He said the Vice President should be made accountable for her statements, as any assassination attempt against the President also raises concerns about the security of the nation and its citizens.

Marcos added that his government would not overlook such criminal attempts.

Despite this, the President said he did not want Congress to pursue impeachment complaints against the Vice President as it would just be a waste of time. He said Duterte was "unimportant" and trying to impeach her would just distract the government from serving Filipinos.
 
"What will happen if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate," he said.

"It will just take up all our time, and for what? For nothing, for nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life," he added.

President Marcos likewise said that he was still open to reconciling with Vice President Duterte even though the latter stated she would never return to the administration.

"Never say never," Marcos responded when asked if he had reached a point of no return with Duterte.