Which side are you on? For the upcoming 2022 Elections

While it is still early in the game, with the filing of the certificate of candidacies (CoC) just finishing last week, the Presidential race towards Malacañang already presents clear clashes. Keep in mind that there is still a long period until November 15, which is the period of substitution, and we could still see major changes in the fight for seats.

PDP-Laban. PDP-Laban split into two factions, having seen an internal disagreement between the camp of those who sided with Manny Pacquiao and those who remained with Alfonso Cusi’s ideologies. The ones who sided with Manny Pacquiao have the Manny Pacquiao and Lito Atienza ticket for the presidential and vice-presidential positions.

On the other hand, the PDP-Laban Cusi Group has senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as the one who filed his CoC for president. For vice president, there is senator Bong Go. There are speculations that both senators who filed their candidacies are merely seat warmers, and will be substituted by the Duterte-Duterte tandem. The same technique was employed by the incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 Elections, who originally filed for candidacy.

Independent. On the other hand, there is the presidential and vice-presidential ticket endorsed by the opposition coalition 1Sambayan, composed of Vice President Leni Robredo and senator and law-maker Kiko Pangilinan. Both will run as independent candidates. Robredo has spent her time as Vice President using her resources to help during the pandemic, building e-consultation and vaccination programs for locals communities. Pangilinan has helped local farmers and continues to advocate for food security.

AksyonDemokratiko. AksyonDemokratiko party nominated Manila City mayor Isko Moreno as its president. Moreno has so far taken a neutral stance, presenting himself to be different from the ruling party and the opposition. However, this strategy of catering to the moderates became a little bit unclear after the candidate proclaimed his negative feelings towards Leni Robredo’s Presidential bid.

Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. The standard-bearer of the Partido ng Federal ng Pilipinas is the former senator and son of the late dictator, Bongbong Marcos. Marcos notably lost for Vice President during the 2016 Elections and has since filed for a resolution to the Supreme Court for a vote recount, but all attempts were denied by the Supreme Court.