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Mainstream opposition may have more in common with administration than with Dutertes — expert

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ABS-CBN News

<p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">MANILA — A broad united opposition is unlikely in the 2025 elections, a political science professor said Sunday, saying the traditional political opposition seems to have more in common with the administration.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Vice President Sara Duterte left the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this week, prompting her father’s former spokesman Harry Roque to label her the “leader of the opposition”, a title that groups in the political opposition have rejected.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Hindi mauulit yung Genuine Opposition nung 2007 dahil ang may common denominator ay hindi yung dalawang bloke ng opposition,” De La Salle University professor Julio Teehankee, whose specializations include comparative and party politics, said on Teleradyo Serbisyo.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The Genuine Opposition was a multi-party coalition that included the Liberal Party and Kilusang Bagong Lipunan formed in opposition to the administration slate of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The coalition won seven of 12 seats contested in the 2007 midterm elections.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/11/lp-may-have-points-of-unity-with-new-admin-alliance-analyst-1022">RELATED: LP may have points of unity with new admin alliance — analyst</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“In terms of narrative and yung emerging policy differences or similarities mas may common ground ironically ang BBM administration at ‘yung traditional mainstream opposition,” he said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">He said common ground can be found in foreign policy — on the West Philippine Sea and on the International Criminal Court investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs — that former President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">&quot;In terms of these two very important issues, mas may common denominator ang tradiitonal mainstream opposition at ang BBM administration,&quot; Teehankee said, adding that a potential alliance would &quot;of course, [be] for their own political interests.&quot;</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Political parties in the Philippines historically see a rise and fall in membership depending on who the sitting president is.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><strong>Who are in the traditional opposition?</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The traditional mainstream opposition has, since 2016, included the Liberal Party as well as Akbayan Party. </p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a href="http://Can Liberal Party-linked bets win in 2025 polls? Political analyst weighs in">READ: Can Liberal Party-linked bets win in 2025 polls? Political analyst weighs in</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives — ACT Teachers, Gabriela and Kabataan party-lists have one seat each — and the national democratic activist movement is a separate opposition bloc that has, at times, worked with traditional political parties.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a href="http://Resistance to China should not lead to &#x27;militarization&#x27; of West PH Sea — group">RELATED: Resistance to China should not lead to &#x27;militarization&#x27; of West PH Sea — group</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The Dutertes and their political allies have been critical of the Marcos administration’s policy in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Duterte-led Partido Demoktratiko Pilipino, meanwhile, includes “[maintaining] the country’s independence from the interference of the International Criminal Court” in its party platform.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, a PDP member and who is expected to run for reelection, said it is still unclear where he and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go will stand in the 2025 elections since the administration <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/marcos-partido-federal-romualdez-s-lakas-cmd-ink-alliance-ahead-of-2025-elections-1256">Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas</a> may already have identified its potential candidates.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Ang standing opposition ngayon ay Liberal Party, hindi naman kami acceptable doon,” he said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Guerrilla warfare lang kami rito,” he also said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ta015kuxMcQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, in a separate interview did not rule out having common points with the administration.</p><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“We base our decisions on issues on what we believe is right. Kung sakaling ganoon din ang maging posisyon ng admin, wala sa control namin yun, we would welcome it,” Diokno of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">He has previously said that the Marcos family and their cronies still have to be held accountable for abuses and corruption during the dictatorship of the sitting president&#x27;s father.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Teehankee added there is little value in debating on who is the real opposition since that could range from being opposed to the incumbent to having “very strong differences in policy, programs and even ideologies.” <strong>— Jonathan de Santos, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rwg1AY-tvZ4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte left the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this week, prompting her father’s former spokesman Harry Roque to label her the “leader of the opposition”, a title that groups in the political opposition have rejected.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte left the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this week, prompting her father’s former spokesman Harry Roque to label her the “leader of the opposition”, a title that groups in the political opposition have rejected.