(From left to right) President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., NUP chairman Ronaldo Puno, and NUP president Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Rep. Villafuerte’s Facebook page)

National Unity Party (NUP) president and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte says his party’s alliance with the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), chaired by President Marcos, serves as a “splendid opportunity” to work together on advancing a “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) that promises robust growth and development for all Filipinos. 

In a statement, Villafuerte said the NUP’s alliance with the PFP is the “logical conclusion” to the former’s two-year close working relationship with Marcos and his administration. 

“We are having a formal alliance with the PFP because the NUP is ready and willing to do the hard work that our President needs from all of us Filipinos for Bagong Pilipinas to become a reality,” he said. 

“With this formal alliance, we in the NUP say: Onward Bagong Pilipinas, Onward with better lives for all Filipinos,” he added.

President Marcos witnessed the signing of the alliance pact on Saturday, June 29, where he stressed that this alliance is not based on political expediency but rather on an ideology rooted in unity.

"We speak now of Bagong Pilipinas, bringing the country, transforming the country to another place, to a better place than we had found it," Marcos said in his speech.

“That is what has brought us together,” he emphasized.

Villafuerte said the alliance marks a new pivotal moment in the history of  Philippine electoral politics.

He said the partnership between the two parties “best illustrates that true-blue members of different mainstream political parties, given the right motivation or inspiration, can transcend partisan politics or personal interests in pursuit of the long-aspired genuine transformation of our public governance, our economy, and our society".

As the second biggest political group in Congress, Villafuerte said the NUP has played a significant role in helping the President and his administration pursue and attain “fundamental transformations” over the past two years.

The Bicol lawmaker pointed out that his party has expressed full support for Marcos’ major programs and policies in and out of the legislature. 

“We are committing ourselves to this formal NUP-PFP alliance on our conviction that Bagong Pilipinas is not a mere slogan but a genuine agenda to truly transform our economy, governance and society—and one that will not come to fruition on its own, but will require very hard work from all of our people, including us members of the political mainstream,” he said.

NUP chairman and former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Ronaldo Puno, in his speech, noted that in a time marked by division, discord, and international uncertainty, the PFP-NUP alliance represents a “beacon of hope, a symbol of what can be achieved when we work towards a common goal”.

“We understand that the road ahead for our country will not always be easy, but we are prepared to face the trials and tribulations with unwavering determination and unwavering resolve,” added Puno.