Is there no more Uniteam?
Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday, June 12, that she and President Marcos are no longer candidates and that the Uniteam was merely a “tandem” for the 2022 elections.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte (Ali Vicoy/MANILA BULLETIN)
“Tapos na ang election at nanalo kami at nagpapasalamat din kami . . . sa ating mga kababayan sa kanilang suporta sa tandem namin noong 2022 (The elections are over and we already won and we thanked our countrymen for their support for our tandem in 2022),” she told reporters in a mix of Visaya and Tagalog in Davao City.
The Vice President further explained that the Uniteam of “Bongbong-Sara” was only a “tandem” for the 2022 elections.
“We are not candidates anymore,” the official added.
Duterte was a no show during the Independence Day festivities at Luneta Park, as well as the bi-annual vin d'honneur that Marcos hosted for diplomats in Malacañan Palace.
She instead graced the Independence Day celebration in her hometown of Davao City, where she delivered her message.
The Uniteam alliance brought Marcos and Duterte to power after a landslide win over the opposition in the 2022 national polls.
However, cracks appeared less than a year into the Marcos administration with Duterte’s family—former president Rodrigo Duterte, Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte—openly criticizing the President.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has also come after the Vice President for apparently laughing after her father called Marcos “bangag (stoned)” in a speech.