President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would not have won the 2022 elections by such a wide margin without his then-running mate, Vice President Sara Duterte, and the UniTeam coalition, Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte said on Monday.
In a lengthy Facebook post, Pulong responded to Marcos’ recent remarks that he did not regret partnering with the Vice President but feared his reforms could be reversed if she wins the presidency in 2028.
“The truth is simple — without Sara Duterte, you would not have won by the margin that you did. The UniTeam coalition delivered votes from north to south,” Duterte said.
“History will always show that your victory was built not on the Marcos name, but on the trust and support commanded by Vice President Sara Duterte,” he added.
Marcos defeated former Vice President Leni Robredo by more than 16 million votes in the 2022 elections, while Duterte won the vice presidency by nearly four times the votes garnered by then-candidate Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.
Relations between the Marcos and Duterte camps deteriorated beginning in 2024 as differences over national policies widened.
What reforms?
Pulong, however, focused his criticism on what he described as the administration’s failure to produce meaningful reforms since Marcos assumed office.
He challenged the President to enumerate his accomplishments during the upcoming State of the Nation Address.
“Perhaps you can clearly enumerate the actions you made that are felt by ordinary Filipinos. Not just English buzzwords, new slogans and scripted applause from congressmen lining up for standing ovations. What people want to hear are results, not production numbers,” he said.
Duterte also said Filipinos are more concerned about rising prices, flooding and daily hardships than political messaging.
“While you prepare another speech, Filipinos are preparing for another round of price increases, flooding and daily hardships. That is the real report card of your administration,” he said.