By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A political bargain allegedly offered in the run-up to the 2022 presidential elections has emerged as a new flashpoint in the bitter fallout between the Marcos and Duterte camps, with House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos claiming that a sitting government official demanded control over several of the country’s most powerful posts in exchange for backing Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid.
Sandro Marcos said the official offered support for his father on the condition that their camp would be allowed to determine who would occupy key positions in the incoming administration—including the Executive Secretary, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senate President and Cabinet posts.
The lawmaker made the disclosure Saturday during an interview on DZMM’s Kwatro Alas program, while recounting an episode when he and his father went to Malacañang seeking the endorsement of then-President Rodrigo Duterte for the 2022 presidential race.
According to Sandro, they expected to meet Duterte but were instead received by three people whose identities he declined to disclose.
He said they waited for roughly two hours before the meeting took an unexpected turn.
Sandro recalled that one of the three—whom he described as a sitting official—told Duterte that support for Marcos Jr. would come with conditions.
The alleged proposal included the right to choose the next Executive Secretary, House Speaker, Senate President and several Cabinet secretaries, among other positions.
Sandro did not identify the official or the other individuals who were present during the meeting.
The allegation places the issue of political appointments at the center of the widening rupture between the two political families, whose 2022 alliance produced the UniTeam presidential and vice-presidential tandem but later collapsed into an increasingly bitter power struggle.
Sandro said the breakdown of the Marcos-Duterte alliance was not caused by a single individual but by competing political factions seeking influence within the administration.
“A part of me kinda saw it coming,” he said, explaining that the large number of political groups surrounding the administration made conflict increasingly likely.
He characterized the eventual breakdown as fundamentally a power struggle, suggesting that competing interests within the coalition were already positioning themselves for influence even before the Marcos administration formally took office.
The latest revelation comes amid continuing political hostilities between President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, whose once-united political machinery has since fractured over competing political interests and increasingly public accusations.
Sandro’s account, however, remains an allegation based on his recollection of the 2022 meeting. He did not name the official who allegedly made the demand or provide independent evidence publicly establishing that such an arrangement was formally made.
The disclosure nonetheless raises a larger question about the political negotiations surrounding the formation of the Marcos administration—and whether the collapse of the UniTeam was rooted not merely in personal or political differences, but in competing claims over who would wield power once the 2022 election was won.
ia/xf
