A solid yellow group formed in 2021 to unite opposition forces against the Duterte administration, and later the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presidency, is jumping on the Unipink bandwagon.
Their stated goal was supposedly to counter the dictatorship’s legacy with slogans like #NeverAgain and #NeverForget, which reference the martial law era’s human rights abuses and economic plunder.
The coalition includes groups like the Liberal Party, progressive factions like Akbayan, and other civil society organizations.
The Cabinet reorganization appears intended to consolidate forces, reward allies, and co-opt opposition figures to neutralize dissent.
For instance, appointments like those of former opposition figures or technocrats with liberal leanings in economic or social welfare roles can be seen as strategic moves to broaden Marcos Jr.’s political base.
Liberals, whose base has been dramatically degraded, are willingly walking into a trap laid by the administration by luring them into the Cabinet.
This isn’t a new tactic, as politics has a long history of co-optation. During Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s tenure, opposition figures were absorbed into her administration, diluting their critiques.
The administration could employ a similar strategy, offering positions to liberal or progressive figures to weaken the opposition’s unity or credibility.
The #NeverAgain and #NeverForget slogans are rooted in the collective memory of martial law (1972–1986) where thousands were tortured, disappeared, and killed, and billions in government and private funds were plundered.
Liberals are now “kissing Marcos’s ass” for relevance, according to one disillusioned yellow mob member.