I think the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino lll was the first to start this recent trend. When he ran for the presidency in 2010, his campaign staff felt Noynoy would win it all not only because he carried the Aquino family name but also because his mother, former president Cory Aquino, died the year before. Aquino did inherit the presidency, following in the footsteps of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But for Gloria, the help that the Macapagal name (her father was the former President Diosdado Macapagal) gave wasn’t as pronounced. After Noynoy, the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos became President, with a little help, of course, from the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte, who became his vice president.
The victory of the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte tandem in 2022 can also be attributed to the fanatical support given to them by the Marcos loyalists (a group that is loyal to the original “Macoy”) and the DDS or the Diehard Duterte Supporters. This means that the loyalists alone could not have catapulted Bongbong to the presidency. The tandem was aptly called the Uniteam, although it has cracked, with Sara now taking potshots at BBM as she prepares for her own presidential run in 2028.
There is a belief that Sara could be the next president based on her family name and the support she has gotten from the DDS group. But I don’t really know if being vice president could help her, given that the previous VP, Leni Robredo, lost when she ran for president in 2022. And, is DDS support enough for her to win?
Unlike when Noynoy ran, however, Sara’s run could be hampered this time around by Rodrigo Duterte’s diminished popularity and by the allegations of corruption against her not only as VP but also during her short-lived stint as secretary of the education department. There is a reason why the label “Sara Lustay” has stuck. And with the older Duterte being in the custody of the International Criminal Court, it would be difficult for him to marshal the support of the DDS troops for a Sara presidential run. A diminished DDS support coupled with BBM marshaling the support of the loyalists for his own anointed presidential bet would make it difficult for Sara to win in 2028. Plus we all know why Sara did not run for president in 2022. She lacked the financial resources that BBM had.
There is therefore a reason why many people are pushing Robredo to make another presidential run. If the yellows and the pinks are unified with the militants, they could win the presidency. And public opinion has tilted in favor of the incorruptible like Robredo following widespread exposure of flood control anomalies after Noynoy Aquino’s presidency. The pendulum of public opinion has apparently swung again to the left of center.
Then there is the growing anti-China sentiment among voters regarding the West Philippine Sea. While China-supported candidates managed to fool the voters in previous elections, people’s awareness has changed. The West Philippine Sea stance can now make or break a candidacy.