Marcos and Duterte’s bitter break-up portends major shake-up in Philippine politics

“There is definitely no more UniTeam,” Maria Ela Atienza, a University of the Philippines political science professor, told This Week in Asia, adding that both the president and vice-president “can no longer diplomatically state that it is business as usual”.

While the feud between the two politically powerful families has been escalating for months, Marcos and Duterte-Carpio had been playing down the tensions in public.

“The SONA was a clear indicator that the Dutertes and their solid supporters have departed the coalition. But this is not really surprising, given the temporary nature of many alliances in Philippine politics,” Jan Robert Go, associate professor of the University of the Philippines’ political science department, told This Week in Asia.

The total dissolution of their alliance has significant implication for the country’s future, as both families are now attempting to strengthen their own political coalitions ahead of the 2025 midterm elections, often through attacks on the other side.

Observers said events that have taken place since the SONA show that the gloves have come off when it comes to two families’ feud.

While the video has not been directly attributed to the family of the former president, analysts said it “fell within the Duterte play book of attacking critics”.

“As we recall from the time Duterte was president, they circulated fake videos, fake photos, fake news, and fake stories to attack critics like Leila De Lima, former vice-president Leni Robredo, and Senator [Antonio] Trillanes,” Atienza said.

“Whether or not it was sanctioned, it was clear that it supports the narrative of the older Duterte. In fact, when this became viral online, the supporters of Duterte came flocking and celebrating the