The Marcos regime introduced its bets for the senate in the upcoming 2025 election at a political gathering last September 26 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The administration’s 12 senatorial candidates include prominent landlords, bourgeois compradores, and capitalist bureaucrats from political dynasties.

Marcos’ bets are under the newly launched “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” which includes five parties. The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Nacionalista Party (NP) and National Unity Party (NUP) form the hodgepodge coalition.

Marcos named Benhur Abalos (PFP), Abigail Binay (NPC), Pia Cayetano (NP), Ping Lacson (NPC), Lito Lapid (NPC), Imee Marcos (NP), Manny Pacquiao (PFP), Bong Revilla (Lakas -CMD), Tito Sotto (NPC), Francis Tolentino (PFP), Erwin Tulfo (Lakas-CMD) and Camille Villar (NP) as his candidates for the senate.

All of Marcos’ candidates attended the gathering except for his own sister, Imee Marcos. Imee announced this September 28 that she will not be part of the administration’s candidates in the 2025 election. The Marcos woman pretends to “want to stand independently” despite her brand as a Marcos.

Same old names

The Koalisyong Makabayan is not surprised at the administration’s range of senatorial candidates. The progressive coalition said none of them are new and they are all old personalities from political dynasties and previous administrations.

“This line-up not only reflects the status quo but also reinforces the enduring political elitism that characterizes Philippine governance,” Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate and leader Liza Maza said.

She said many of these candidates have repeatedly failed to accomplish any meaningful action to address the most urgent concerns of Filipinos.”Their legislative records are underwhelming, with little to no significant laws or proposals aimed at addressing the most critical issues facing ordinary Filipinos—jobs, job security, social welfare, social services, and human rights,” Maza said.

The coalition called on Filipino voters to critically assess the candidates for the 2025 election. “Let us not be swayed by familiar faces or the politics of patronage. What we need are leaders who have the courage to stand up for the common good, those who are not beholden to the interests of a few powerful families or individuals.” Maza said.

Short-term alliance

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) compared Marcos’ Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas to his “uni-team” with the Dutertes in the 2022 election. Party chief information officer Marco Valbuena said they are bowing to Marcos for now because they are united by their shared self-interest to partake in the spoils of corruption and privilege.

Like the “uni-team,” which didn’t even last a year, he said it can possibly be torn apart when members want to outsmart each other for bigger shares of the people’s money. “Their alliance is unprincipled and temporary,” Valbuena added.

At the bottomline, the Party emphasize that Marcos’ “alliance” is alienated from the broad masses of workers, peasants and other oppressed classes and sectors. They are hated by the people as they are all known purveyors of neoliberal policies that keep wages low, push prices up, and dispossess the people of land and livelihood of the Filipinos.

“It is an alliance of big bureaucrat capitalists and political opportunists, representing the old and decrepit ruling system,” Valbuena added.