‘It’s a free country,’ BBM on Dutertes’ Senate plans

FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte and his children are free to run for office in the next year’s elections, President Marcos Jr. said yesterday.

The President was asked about the statement of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday that her father the ex-President, and her brothers Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte are seeking Senate seats next year. Mayor Duterte is also planning to run for president in 2028, according to the Vice President.

Several politicians have expressed doubt on the Vice President’s statement which came about a week after she quit the Marcos Cabinet.

“It’s a free country. They’re allowed to do what it is that they want,” President Marcos said during a media interview.

But Marcos said it is still early to discuss the 2028 national elections and a lot of things could still happen until then. On the 2025 polls, he expressed belief things would be clearer by October year when certificates of candidacies are filed.

“Then we will see really kung tatakbo ba talaga. Sino ba talaga tatakbo? Kanino sasama? What are the parties involved? Which parties are in alliance with which? Doon lang natin makikita sa Oktubre (Then we will see if they will really run. Who will really run? Who they will align with? What are the parties involved? Which parties are in alliance with which? We will only see it in October), the President said.

The President, meanwhile, said despite the departure of the Vice President from his Cabinet, the UniTeam Coalition is still there and nothing has changed.

Marcos and the Vice President ran under the UniTeam in the 2022 presidential elections.

UniTeam is a coalition among Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, and the Vice President’s regional political party- Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).

The PFP recently signed an alliance agreement with Lakas-CMD and the Nationalist’s People’s Coalition in preparation for the 2025 midterm elections.

It is still unclear if the PFP and HP would forge an alliance.

Marcos said there could be changes in the coalition depending on the decision of the Vice President on whether to stay with the