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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider UniTeam's 2022 election victory not due to one person alone, Palace says

UniTeam's 2022 election victory not due to one person alone, Palace says

Published Jun 1, 2026 03:56 pm
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro | Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro | Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte
The success of "UniTeam," an alliance formed by President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte during the 2022 elections, cannot be attributed to one person alone, Malacañang said, countering the statements made by Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Marcos-Duterte tandem was called "UniTeam" for a reason.
"Unang-una, Uniteam sila. Hindi mo puwedeng sabihin na ito ay dahil lamang kay Pangulong Marcos Jr. o dahil lamang kay Bise Presidente. Uniteam, Ibig sabihin nagkaisa sila (First of all, they were the UniTeam. You cannot say that this was only because of President Marcos Jr. or only because of the Vice President. They were UniTeam, which means they were united)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, June 1.
Castro said this after the congressman claimed that without his sister, Sara, Marcos "would not have won by the margin" he did, referring to the votes the President received during the 2022 polls.
"Ngayon, bakit ibinibigay lamang sa Pangulo ang mandato? E, Pangulo po siya. Pangalawa, sino po ang nagtatrabaho at sino po ba nagbabakasyon (Now, why is the mandate being given only to the President? Well, he is the President. Second, who is actually working and who is taking vacations)?" Castro pointed out.
The Palace spokesperson also questioned "who is continuously looking after our fellow citizens, and who is the one who is continuously out of the country?"
In an interview with Bloomberg, Marcos said he does not regret running alongside the Vice President in 2022. Rep. Duterte agreed, but added that if not for his sister, Marcos would not have won by such a large margin.

'Living in the dark'

Castro also encouraged Rep. Duterte to watch the news to see what the President has accomplished, saying he seems to be "living in the dark."
"Mas maganda po sana manood siya ng press briefing, mga news, mainstream, state-owned media (It would be better if he watches press briefings, the news, mainstream media, and state-owned media)," Castro said.
"Lumalabas po kasi na hindi siya updated, hindi nagbabasa, hindi nanonood ng news, nakakaawa naman, nabubuhay sa dilim, nabubuhay sa fake news, nabubuhay sa sariling imahinasyon (It seems that he is not up to date, does not read, and does not watch the news. It's unfortunate—he is living in the dark, living on fake news, and living in his own imagination)," Castro retaliated.
This countered Rep. Duterte's questioning of the reforms the President has implemented.
He urged Marcos to enumerate the government reforms he has undertaken to help alleviate Filipinos' lives, not just mere "slogans, scripted applause, or standing ovation" during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The Palace mouthpiece said he should not wait for the SONA to come, stressing that "if he only watches the press briefing, he would already know what the President is doing."

Related Tags

President Marcos Pulong Duterte Sara Duterte UniTeam SONA
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