VP Sara backs Imee, Camille Villar; Tiangco says Alyansa ‘intact’

Despite losing a key candidate from the coalition and a now-viral photo shoot with Vice President Sara Duterte, administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (APBP) remains in high spirits as the campaign continues.

On Sunday, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque posted a photo of the Vice President with Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar, together with her father, former Senate President Manny Villar. Among the photos was the Villars doing the Duterte “fist bump.”

In another social media post, this time by vlogger Tio Moreno on Saturday, Duterte was seen with filmmaker Darryl Yap and Senator Imee Marcos.

Marcos and Yap have previously collaborated.

Netizens and supporters of Duterte, Marcos, and Villar were quick to react, as the candidates were endorsed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The President and Vice President’s relationship has been in disarray since Duterte left the Cabinet in 2024 and was further strained by the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

This is also the same reason why Marcos left the APBP and resumed her re-election campaign as an independent.

The Office of the Vice President has yet to comment on the viral photos but has shared that it will release a statement on the matter after Holy Week.

Alyansa ‘intact’

APBP campaign manager and Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco said the five political parties forming the admin-backed coalition are “intact.”

Among the parties are the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), National Unity Party (NUP), and Nacionalista Party (NP).

Tiangco noted that Alyansa candidates continue to receive overwhelming support from the national and local levels, including from grassroots organizations.

“This is something that we welcome and we are proud of because politics is about addition, not division. It is about building coalitions. And in any election, every bit of support counts,” he said in a statement.

He emphasized that Marcos chose the candidates to endorse based on their abilities, strong experience, and commitment to the administration’s vision “Bagong Pilipinas.”

“One of our goals is to build broad support around the shared platform of Alyansa, and our overarching objective is for all our candidates to win because they are capable, committed, and deserving of the trust and confidence of the Filipino people,” Tiangco said.

He also noted that each endorsement of Alyansa candidates is proof of support for the President’s vision, which is “what matters most.”

Meanwhile, in a press briefing in Malacañang Palace, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos’ trust and confidence in his chosen candidates is whole.

“Sa kanyang mga kandidato, definitely yes (In his candidates, definitely yes),” she said briefly.

It is less than a month before the 2025 midterm elections, where voters will elect 12 senators, 254 representatives, 63 party-list representatives, and nearly 18,000 local officials, such as governors, provincial board members, mayors, and councilors.

The Commission on Elections, on Sunday, began conducting the month-long overseas voting for registered voters abroad. Over 77 Online Voting and Counting Systems have successfully opened, as well as 16 posts in Philippine embassies and consulates, which will utilize automated counting machines (ACMs).