Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman, once a staunch supporter of the Uniteam alliance between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, has placed the blame for its downfall squarely on the Dutertes.
In an Inquire.net report, Roman said she initially defended the political “love team” in the hopes of fostering national progress. However, she claimed that Sara Duterte’s antagonistic stance toward Marcos ultimately led to the alliance’s collapse.
“When VP Sara took office, I saw that her attitude towards President Marcos had been very antagonistic,” Roman said. “I fought for this love team, the Uniteam. I was hoping that through unity, we could push for progress.”
Roman pointed out that Marcos made efforts to include Duterte in his administration, even granting her responsibilities beyond her role as Vice President. However, she accused Duterte’s allies of undermining the President, citing the Senate probe initiated by her supporters into allegations of drug use against Marcos.
“But what did she give in exchange? Senators aligned with the Vice President called for an investigation into claims that the President was using drugs. Where have you seen such disrespect?” Roman asked.
The political rift between the Marcos and Duterte factions deepened as the former president, Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested on Tuesday upon his arrival from Hong Kong. Philippine authorities, in coordination with Interpol, enforced an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest order related to crimes against humanity linked to his war on drugs.
Despite questioning the legality of the arrest, Duterte was eventually flown out of Manila to The Hague in the Netherlands late Tuesday night. His allies have since decried the move, while Marcos maintained that the arrest was purely procedural and not politically motivated.
