TUCP backs Bongbong, Sara in May 9 elections

MANILA – The country's largest labor group, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), has endorsed the candidacy of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate vice presidential bet Inday Sara Duterte in the upcoming 2022 national elections.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said there was an overwhelming response from their 1.2 million-strong members to support the UniTeam Marcos-Duterte tandem when they recently held a string of consultation meetings with TUCP members all over the country.

"The vote advantage of Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte-Carpio and with those four other pair of presidential and vice presidential aspirants was very wide. It was an overwhelming majority decision in all caucuses held differently in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao," Tanjusay said in a news release on Monday.

Tanjusay added that Bongbong and Sara bested the other hopefuls such as the Robredo-Pangilinan, Moreno-Ong, Lacson-Sotto, and the Pacquiao-Atienza tandems.

Meanwhile, TUCP president Raymond Mendoza added that their group would make the formal announcement anytime this week.

Founded in 1975 by 23 labor federations, TUCP is currently the Philippines' largest alliance of labor federations. Most of its members come from major industries such as service, agriculture, and manufacturing from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The UniTeam, as part of its Covid19 pandemic recovery plan, has pledged to revive the agriculture sector and continue President Rodrigo Duterte's “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program to generate jobs and jumpstart the country's economy.

Marcos and Duterte consistently appealed to all Filipinos to join in their call for national unity.

The UniTeam tandem believes that creating a unified front amid the problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic is the best hope for the country to recover swiftly.

Marcos had reiterated that his message of unity is no longer just a message but has evolved into a movement called “Kilusan ng Pagkakaisa."

He urged every Filipino to join the movement and contribute to nation building.

The UniTeam's appeal for unity resonates with the Filipino people, as evidenced by their consistent dominance in all pre-election surveys, where they are frequently the top choice of respondents. (PR)