Why UniTeam collapsed
Just look at Senator Joel Villanueva. However he puts it, he cannot deny that he defected to save himself from imprisonment. No more. No less.
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Just look at Senator Joel Villanueva. However he puts it, he cannot deny that he defected to save himself from imprisonment. No more. No less.
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While the public couldn’t validate his factual claims, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos was correct when he said the UniTeam alliance collapsed due to an existing power struggle and political maneuvering by various factions within the group.
This was actually expected. Just like other coalitions that came before it, the UniTeam was formed merely for convenience without any unified, solid foundation to stand on. At that time, it just made a lot of sense because it could overwhelmingly guarantee them the presidency, as opposed to both Sara Duterte and Bongbong Marcos running separately.
In our country, a strong political party system doesn’t really exist. Unlike in the United States, where both the Democrats and Republicans exist with distinct ideological platforms, parties here act as temporary vehicles for convenience, characterized by widespread party-switching and weak institutional accountability.
As a case in point, all parties except those identified with the Dutertes are expected to also forge their own alliance in 2028 so they could have a better chance at defeating
Sara, assuming she doesn’t get convicted and decides to run. This is why the Liberal Party, Akbayan and other similarly situated groups currently support the President. For sure, this marriage is also temporary and would be expected to crumble into pieces once the goal is achieved.
Politics in the Philippines is simply driven by individual personalities, family dynasties, and patronage networks. It’s all about accommodation. This is why voters support candidates based on personal loyalty or what they can get from them rather than party policies.
This is also why politicians easily switch party allegiance whenever a new administration takes power. When Rodrigo Duterte was President, he used to control Congress. Now it’s Marcos who has power over them.
For this reason, loose coalitions formed during elections would inevitably fade away afterward. There is no strict legal framework or internal discipline to stop members from jumping ship. Why? Because all these politicians treat political seats as private enterprises.
Party loyalty and principled platforms are just resorted to for survival. Just look at Senator Joel Villanueva. However he puts it, he cannot deny that he defected to save himself from imprisonment. No more. No less.
So, Cong. Marcos isn’t really wrong when he stated that part of him “kinda saw it coming.” The public did too, except the brainwashed and stupid who still treat political views like tribal sports and personal identity. But that’s another story.
