Philippine elections leaves the Marcos-Duterte family feud still dominating politics

The May 12 midterm election results in the Philippines, involving 317 congressional seats and nearly 18,000 local positions, hold different meanings for people across the archipelago. The unofficial results quickly revealed that entrenched local “dynasties” secured victories in municipal and city mayorships, provincial governorships, and congressional seats due to the advantages of incumbency, such as control over patronage resources and regulatory powers.

The midterm elections in the Philippines also determine half of the seats in the nationally elected 24-member Senate, serving as tests for presidents midway through their single six-year terms and previews of the next presidential election, scheduled for 2028. The recent mid-terms have brought attention to a significant family feud at the top of the country’s political landscape between the families of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, with neither family significantly strengthening their position, indicating that their rivalry is likely to persist throughout Marcos’s term.

The discord between the Marcos and Duterte families, which intensified following the rift between them after Marcos’s inauguration in June 2022, has escalated. The breakdown in relations between President Marcos and Vice President Duterte has led to public hostilities, corruption allegations, and even an impeachment process against Duterte. The midterms acted as a proxy war between the two families, with mixed results that did not significantly alter the dynamics between them.

Despite the support they still maintain, particularly in Mindanao, the southern home base of the Dutertes, the ongoing family feud is expected to remain unresolved in the coming months and years as the trial and political landscape continue to evolve.