President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, August 8, urged the elected officials to set aside political differences and personal agendas for the welfare of the Filipino people ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
Marcos made the remarks during the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and Nacionalista Party (NP) alliance signing in Taguig City in an apparent swipe at Vice President Sara Duterte.
Duterte issued a statement earlier this week criticizing the Marcos administration for “continuously” allowing Filipinos to go hungry and live in poverty, adding that her fellow countrymen “deserve better.”
“We are here today to formalize this relationship (PFP-NP alliance) and to prepare ourselves to make sure that the leadership that will come, that will win after the election — the midterm election next year are the leaders who understand that we must put our partisan, our personal differences aside, whatever they may be,” Marcos said in his speech.
“Mayroong malaki, mayroong maliit. Ngunit, ang pinakamahalaga ay magkasundo tayo kung ano man ang pinakamaganda para matulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan,” he added.
The President thanked the Nacionalista Party and urged its officials to reach out to individuals who may not be focused on politics but are concerned about the nation.
Marcos’ political party inked an alliance pact with one of the country’s oldest political parties, beefing up the administration coalition months ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
This accord is the latest in a series of alliances made by the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) in recent months, following similar deals with three other parties this year: Lakas-CMD, the Nationalist People’s Coalition, and the National Unity Party.
President Marcos, who had been with the Nacionalista Party since 2009, switched to the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas for his presidential campaign in October 2022. He announced his candidacy for president the day after he assumed the role of PFP chairman.
Established in 1907, the Nacionalista Party has played a role in electing five former presidents: Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia, and the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who is also the President’s father. (TCSP)
