Philippine President Marcos’ allies poised to take key posts in midterms, poll shows
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr attends a rally for his party’s candidates running for seats in Congress.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MANILA – Senate candidates backed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr look set to dominate midterm elections in May, with a new poll showing them taking three-quarters of available seats despite attempts to discredit the government over the arrest of former leader Rodrigo Duterte.
Packed with political heavyweights and wielding outsized influence, the Senate has a high profile in the Philippines, where midterm elections for 12 of its 24 seats are closely watched as a barometer of public support for the president.
The Social Weather Stations poll of 1,800 voters was conducted four days after the still-popular Mr Duterte was transferred to The Hague
His army of diehard supporters, many online, were quick to portray him as a persecuted hero, framing his arrest as a foreign “kidnapping” facilitated by the Marcos government, which has rejected that.
The May 12 elections have been billed as a proxy battle
The handover of the elder Mr Duterte to the International Criminal Court was a major blow for a family that has had a stunning change of fortunes, coming only a month after his daughter was impeached by the Lower House in Congress led by allies of Mr Marcos.
Ms Duterte, who has been tipped as a contender for the 2028 presidency, will go on trial at the Senate later in 2025 and faces removal from her post and a lifetime ban from holding office.
The senators will serve as jurors. To convict Ms Duterte, a two-thirds majority is needed.
The complaint against her
Ms Duterte has dismissed the allegations and her father’s arrest as politically motivated with the 2028 presidency in mind.
But she still has allies in the Senate, and the latest survey indicates two loyalists are likely to be re-elected, a former Duterte presidential aide and a former police chief who spearheaded the drugs crackdown, which could boost her survival chances.
The May elections will also contest 317 congressional seats and thousands of local posts. Among the candidates is Mr Duterte, running for mayor of his home city of Davao, even while detained at The Hague.
Despite fierce criticism over the arrest of the former president, Mr Marcos looks almost certain to consolidate his power in the midterms, according to veteran political analyst and former presidential adviser Ronald Llamas.
“This is now a battle for the government to lose,” he said. REUTERS
