Philstar.com fact-checks and analyzes political clans’ power move

CHEERS TO Philstar.com for correctly pointing out how the ‘UniTeam’ Alliance is driven by the goal of ensuring “access to government power” by the political families leading the group. Most media reports merely recorded the statements they made, but Philstar.com went further, quickly fact-checking what their leaders said. 

On November 25, the Arroyo, Duterte, Estrada, and Marcos families inked an alliance agreement at the Sofitel Plaza Manila in Pasay City. Arroyo’s Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the Marcos-led Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), and Duterte-Carpio’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) unveiled a ‘UniTeam’ alliance and announced their support for presidential aspirant Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and vice-presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio.

During the event, former Sen. Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. or “Jinggoy” Estrada said that “kaming tatlo po ay pawang mga anak ng presidente. Hindi na ho talaga maaalis sa aming kamalayan, sa aming dugo at sa aming mga puso ang maglingkod sa ating mahal na bayan.”

(We three are children of presidents. Serving and loving the country will always remain in our conscience, in our blood and in our hearts.)

Philstar.com’s Xave Gregorio did not just quote their statements. He reviewed the history of the said families and talked with political scientists Cleve Arguelles, Cleo Calimbahin and Jean Franco who pointed out the implications of their coming together in a pro- Marcos-Duterte alliance. 

Gregorio first correctly countered Estrada’s statement with facts: one, that Estrada’s father, Joseph, was ousted from power and was convicted of plunder thereafter. Marcos Jr.’s father, Ferdinand, was also removed from office by popular protest after two decades of rule when thousands of human rights abuses were committed and billions of pesos stolen from government coffers. Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio’s father, Rodrigo, has been accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for the countless killings in the course of his “war on drugs.” Gregorio also cited the plunder case of Arroyo in 2016. 

Further, Gregorio cited Arguelles who said it was clear that the unity forged among the families controlling these parties has one goal: To keep themselves in power. Calimbahin added that Filipino voters or sectors with particular advocacies were not represented in the alliance. While Franco said that “alliances without clear ideologies, common programs and policies still manifest that our parties are not yet well-developed.”

In conclusion, Gregorio cited Calimbahin who said the alliance driven by political families “knows what it means to have the concentration of power and resources. They also know that the disbursement of power and resources are never equitable so they will be competing even amongst themselves.” Elections are a political exercise central to democracy, placing citizens front and center of the system of governance. Media should be able to recognize self-serving candidates and their kindred allies and warn the voting public of the danger of giving and keeping them in power.