ARTICLE BY SUNSTAR NEWS: “Sama-sama tayong babangon muli.” This was the tagline of the once solid UniTeam alliance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Before the elections, the two stood side by side in their campaigns, but after the polls, they’ve been tearing each other down and spewing tirades over the past two years, especially recently.
To keep you on track with the latest cracks in the UniTeam, we have rounded up its history from its creation to how it fell apart.
November 2021: UniTeam was formed
Bongbong Marcos / Facebook
After months of planning, Marcos and Duterte sealed their alliance for the 2022 polls, officially forming the “UniTeam” tandem.
Before this, Duterte initially wanted to continue her third term as the Davao City mayor but was convinced by Sen. Imee Marcos to become the running mate of her brother, Marcos Jr.
Their ticket was further sealed when four parties, The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats), Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) signed an alliance agreement expressing their support for the UniTeam tandem.
During their campaign kickoff, Duterte expressed how she believed in Marcos’ ability to lead after her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, described the ex-senator as a “weak leader.”
“[It’s] the kind of experience we need not only to sustain the growth and development spurred by the current administration but also to bring a more prosperous future,” she said in February 2022.
May 9, 2022: Winning in the 2022 elections
The UniTeam earned their historic feat for winning both the presidency and vice presidency seats via landslide votes—Marcos, won with 31.1 million votes while Duterte earned 31.5 million votes.
After the polls, Marcos appointed Duterte as the Secretary of Education, although she wanted to be chief of the Department of National Defense.
May 19, 2023: Sara Duterte’s resignation from Lakas-CMD
A little over a year after taking oath as the vice president, Duterte parted ways from Lakas-CMD after former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, her close ally, was demoted to deputy speaker from being a senior deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. The former president was accused of planning Martin Romualdez’s ouster as the House leader, which she denied.
Duterte did not specifically mention her reason for leaving the party, but stressed she will not serve the Filipino people with “political toxicity.”
“I am here today because of the trust of the Filipino people in me to lead and serve them and the country, and this cannot be poisoned by political toxicity or undermined by execrable political power play,” she previously said.
Romualdez currently serves as the president of LAKAS-CMD.
At the height of the House shake-up, Duterte posted a selfie with a cryptic caption, “Sa imong ambisyon, do not be tambaloslos (In your ambition, do not be tamboloslos.)” She refused to explain further but said that in Bisaya, it may be interpreted as a joke or an insult.
June 5, 2023: Sara Duterte’s snide remark against Martin Romualdez
During her speech at a Department of Education (DepEd)’s “Pasidungog” event, Duterte seemingly made a snide remark against Romualdez, first cousin of the president.
At the event, she acknowledged Marcos’ “all-out support” for the Office of the Vice President, but refused to mention the latter’s middle initial, which stands for “Romualdez.”
“Hindi ko na banggitin ang middle initial niya,” Duterte said with a laugh at the time. “Apo, alam mo ‘yan na mahal kita.”
June 7, 2023: Lawmakers back up Romualdez
Lawmakers have expressed their support for Romualdez amid his apparent rift with Duterte. Late Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr. praised the House Speaker for taking the “moral high road” for not firing back with insults.
“He never fired back with insults of his own. That shows strength of character,” Barzaga previously said in his statement.
“The Speaker worked hard for then Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s vice presidential bid because he genuinely believed that she would make a difference. Their rift is sad news, and I hope that it will be mended soon,” he added.
Shortly after, Duterte released her statement to debunk Barzaga’s claim that Romualdez had something to do with her vice presidency. She mentioned that people who cannot discern attacks from humor must not be in politics, “especially if one fails to understand that political bickering is just a facet of democracy and should not be used to equate with governance,” she wrote.
“On the one hand, how the recent political developments have become an opportunity for sycophants is quite amusing,” she added. She, however, stressed at the time her all-out support for the Marcos administration.
Sept. 25, 2023: OVP budget deliberations
Duterte found herself in hot water during the OVP’s 2024 budget deliberations, where she was proposing P650 million combined confidential funds for the OVP and DepEd.
At the time, the Commission of Audit said that Duterte’s office spent P125 million of its confidential funds in 2022 in just 11 days.
Days later, the Romualdez-led lower chamber announced that they would strip the OVP of the requested confidential funds and realign it instead to security forces due to escalating tension at the West Philippine Sea.
October 2023: Rodrigo Duterte says House is the ‘most rotten institution,’ attacks Romualdez
Following the budget strip, former president Rodrigo Duterte called the House the “most rotten institution” during his episode at SMNI’s “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa.” He also accused Romualdez of having pork barrel supposedly being given to lawmakers.
“This Romualdez, Speaker… has been feeding congressmen with cash, but I say, he should be audited,” Duterte said in Filipino at the time. “Because the Speaker is poised to run for president. Well and good.”
The House has since slammed the former president’s tirades, stressing that they have passed the COA audit.
In defending the House, Romualdez said in November: “Let it be said, never must we countenance or allow others not so likely-minded individuals who choose to malign or put down the image of this institution and dictate the direction we must go.”
“I urge everyone to rally behind our true moral compass–the will of the people,” he added.
January 2024: Different rallies, hurling drug accusations
Marcos said he is open to making possible amendments to the political provisions of the 1987 Constitution, an issue that the Dutertes are against.
Following this, the two political families staged different rallies in January. Malacañang held a “Bagong Pilipinas” kickoff rally at Quirino Grandstand attended by Marcos’ supporters.
Meanwhile, in Davao, a prayer rally petitioning against the people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution was happening on the same day, which the VP attended.
In the rally, the elder Duterte and his son Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte slammed Marcos, accusing him of being a drug addict and lazy president. Baste also called for his resignation for allowing the International Criminal Court (ICC), an agency currently investigating Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, to visit the Philippines.
Earlier in that month, Marcos told the ICC that they may visit the country but that the government would not assist or cooperate in their investigation into the drug war.
On Jan. 29, Duterte said that his brother Baste’s sentiments were “coming from a place of brotherly love.”
She added, “coupled by the common sentiment that I do not deserve the despicable treatment that I am receiving from some sectors within the circle of the President.”
For his part, Marcos responded to the former president’s tirades, claiming the latter was on fentanyl.
Despite the tirades, the president assured that the UniTeam tandem “is still there.”
April 2024: Liza Marcos on Duterte: ‘Bad shot na sa ‘kin ‘yan’
First Lady Liza Marcos slammed Duterte for allegedly laughing when his husband, Marcos Jr. was called “bangag” in the prayer rally, saying, “bad shot na sa ‘kin yan.”
“For me, nasaktan ako because my husband will do everything to protect you,” Liza said of Duterte. “You ran together, ‘di ba? Sama-sama tayong babangon muli.”
“Pupunta ka sa rally, tatawagin ‘yung presidente mong ‘bangag’… tama ba ‘yan?” she added. “Even Leni [Robredo] never did that.” Robredo was Marcos’ top rival for presidency in the last elections.
Despite the First Lady’s comments on the VP, Marcos said that it wouldn’t affect his working relationship with Duterte.
For her part, Duterte shrugged off Liza’s comments, saying the latter’s hatred towards her is not relevant to her duties as the vice president.
June 2024: Duterte resigns as DepEd secretary, NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson
Duterte stepped down from her posts as the DepEd secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Following her resignation, she dispelled public speculations on their alleged fallout, saying that they are “still friendly” with each other on a personal level.”
July 2024: Duterte skips SONA
Duterte did not attend Marcos Jr.’s 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA). While she did not give any reason why, she said at the time that she was appointing herself as a “designated survivor.”
She also released a statement that she would not watch the SONA via TV or gadgets as she would empathize with Boholanos following the death of their Vice Governor.
August to September 2024: OVP budget hearings
In August, budget hearings began for the OVP’s proposed P2.037 billion allocation for 2025. This was questioned by lawmakers, including Sen. Risa Hontiveros, as some of the programs under Duterte’s office appeared to be similar to those already being done by other agencies.
After trading barbs with Hontiveros, Duterte got into heated exchanges with the House of Representatives during her budget deliberations. ACT Teachers Party List Rep. France Castro brought up COA’s notice of disallowance to the OVP in 2022, asking Duterte how she spent her P125 million confidential funds.
Sept. 18, 2024: Duterte, Marcos ‘not friends’
In an interview with reporters, Duterte was asked if she had been communicating with Marcos amid the ongoing issue regarding her office’s scrutinized budget utilization.
“Hindi naman kasi kami talaga nagkausap niyan. Hindi kami magkaibigan,” she said.
“Nagkakilala lang kami dahil naging running-mate kami, so bago pa man kami naging running-mate, hindi na kami nag-uusap. Nag-uusap lang kami during campaign at dahil sa trabaho noon,” she continued.
October 2024: Marcos ‘dismayed’
Tensions between Vice President Sara Duterte and President Bongbong Marcos intensified in late 2024. Marcos expressed surprise over Duterte’s claim they were never friends, saying he felt deceived. Duterte harshly criticized Marcos, calling him unfit to lead and lacking solutions to national issues. She even threatened to exhume the late President Marcos Sr.’s remains and accused the Marcos family of using her in the 2022 elections.
In November, Duterte made controversial statements during a Zoom press conference, revealing she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and Speaker Romualdez if she were assassinated. This led Malacañang to ramp up security, calling her remarks a national security threat. Marcos condemned the threats, emphasizing the seriousness of plotting against a president.
Duterte later claimed her statements were taken out of context and refused to pursue legal action, saying she no longer trusted the administration. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, echoed her criticisms and called on the military to intervene due to what he described as “fractured governance.”
December 2024: IMPEACHMENT filed against Sara Duterte
In December 2024, multiple impeachment complaints were filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. The initial complaint, submitted on December 2 by a coalition of civil society groups, accused her of serious misconduct, including making death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the Speaker of the House, as well as alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and corruption. A subsequent complaint on December 4 focused on her alleged misuse of confidential funds during her tenure as education secretary and vice president. Despite these allegations, President Marcos advised lawmakers against pursuing impeachment, suggesting it would divert attention from more pressing national issues.
LAST STRAW: DUTERTE ARRESTED BY THE ICC
On March 11, 2025, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila International Airport on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for alleged crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign. He was subsequently transferred to The Hague to await trial. Duterte resisted the arrest, refusing fingerprinting and threatening legal action against the officers involved. His arrest has elicited mixed reactions: human rights groups view it as a significant step toward justice, while his supporters, including his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, have criticized the action.
