MASADA sees Sara impeachment 'a blessing in disguide' for PDP-Laban Senate bets

The now-defunct Marcos-Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA) has expressed confidence that the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte is "a blessing in disguise" for the nine senatorial candidates of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban). This sentiment was expressed during recent campaign sorties in Cebu, Bukidnon, and Misamis Occidental.

Benito Ranque, the lead convenor of MASADA, told DAILY TRIBUNE that at least three PDP-Laban candidates — Senators Bong Go, Bato De La Rosa, and former senator Manny Pacquiao — are now among the "Magic 12" in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. While Sen. Go maintains a high ranking, Pacquiao and De La Rosa have moved up to positions nine to 12.

Although Pacquiao was not initially part of the nine official senatorial candidates of PDP-Laban, he was the former president of the PDP-Laban faction led by Senator Aquilino Pimentel.

Ranque noted that the majority of the candidates now in the Magic 12 supported the Marcos-Duterte alliance during the 2016 and 2022 elections, where then-senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and then-mayor Sara Duterte ran as a tandem and won by a landslide with 31 million votes.

While acknowledging that the impeachment marks the official end of the Marcos-Duterte alliance, Ranque believes it will benefit the PDP-Laban candidates. He pointed to the massive turnout of supporters at PDP-Laban rallies in Cebu, Bukidnon, and Misamis Occidental as evidence of their growing momentum.

Ranque explained that MASADA, which was originally formed as the Mayor Sara Duterte Alliance, was renamed the Marcos-Sara Duterte Alliance when she agreed to become Marcos' running mate in the 2022 election.

"We launched a nationwide campaign for Davao City Mayor Sara’s presidential candidacy, but later on, she decided to be BBM’s running mate. We established at least 50 provincial and regional headquarters across the country to support the Marcos-Duterte tandem in the 2022 elections," Ranque said.

MASADA was similar to the 2016 presidential and vice-presidential elections, when an informal alliance between supporters of President Duterte and then-Senator Marcos was formed to ensure Duterte’s victory in the presidential race and Marcos’ success in the vice-presidential race. This alliance, called Alyansa ni Digong at Bongbong (ALDUB), secured Duterte’s win, but failed to deliver a victory for Marcos, who ran as an independent vice-presidential candidate.

In 2022, the Marcos-Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA) launched a campaign to unite the so-called "Solid North" and "Solid South" in support of the Marcos-Duterte tandem. The goal was to strengthen political alliances across the country and rally behind Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for president and Sara Duterte for vice president.

However, the alliance, which once symbolized political unity, has now fractured following the filing of an impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. Although President Marcos has publicly opposed the impeachment, his appeal has been largely ignored, further underscoring the widening rift between the former political allies.