Villar family’s Nacionalista Party inks 2025 alliance with Marcos’ Partido Federal

MANILA, Philippines – The political base of the Villar family, the Nacionalista Party, formally joined forces with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), fortifying a grand midterm elections coalition that already includes three other major political parties.

Marcos graced the ceremonial signing of the alliance agreement between the two parties on Thursday, August 8, in Taguig.

“We are continuing to answer the call for unity and this is what I always explain to people. This is, of course, this is in preparation for the midterm elections,” the President said in his speech.

“President Marcos has proven that by the impressive accomplishments of his administration in the short time that it has been in power,” added former Senate president and Nacionalista Party chairman Manny Villar. “That is why we welcomed the President’s announcement that the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas will seek alliances with the country’s national political parties in order to forge a common vision for the country.”

Marcos has deep ties with Nacionalista Party and the Villars, one of the richest families in the Philippines.

In 2010, the late dictator’s son ran for senator under the Nacionalista Party ticket, which had Manny Villar as its standard bearer.

It was Marcos’ second attempt to secure a national post after a failed first try in 1995. He placed seventh in a field of 61 candidates, winning one of the 12 coveted Senate seats in the 2010 race.

In 2016, Marcos ran as independent, after the Nacionalista Party chose not to endorse him and two other party members – then-senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV – who were also gunning for the vice presidency.

Marcos left the Nacionalista Party to run under the banner of Partido Federal for the 2022 elections, but Villar’s party later backed his candidacy.

“The Nacionalista Party leadership was still trying to assess what will be the political situation for the last political cycles, the election of 2022,” Marcos recalled on Thursday.

“I told them, I wasn’t leaving because we cannot be in agreement, but because I was in a hurry, and they said they can’t do anything because the party had to consider all members,” Marcos added in Filipino.

Established in 1907, the Nacionalista Party is the oldest party in the Philippines, and was home to numerous Philippine presidents, including Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Aside from the Nacionalista Party, Partido Federal also previously signed alliance agreements with Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s Coalition, and the National Unity Party.

The coalition has yet to unveil its senatorial slate, but Rappler’s ongoing tally counts at least six people from the individual parties who have their candidacies confirmed by them, by their family, or by their party.

The names include House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, who is seeking to succeed his term-limited mother, Senator Cynthia Villar. If elected, she will get to work alongside her brother, Senator Mark Villar, in the upper chamber. – Rappler.com