Political Alphabet

Presidential aspirant B forms political party U less than a year before elections. Here in the Philippines, political parties are more of election vehicles. Politicians come and go to different parties for convenience. In other countries, alliances of parties are instead created as party switching is taboo. In places with strong political parties, alliances formed during elections will also become parliament coalitions. Most often, they are created post-elections to form government. U can also be described as an election alliance. But here, election alliances are not guaranteed to be parliament coalitions or congress allies.

Presidential aspirant P, an election and current congress ally of the ruling party L, will go against L's presidential bet R which is a member of L. P will run as independent together with E as running-mate for vice-president. P and E were senatorial candidates of both U and L during the last elections. U dropped P and E from the senatorial line-up three months before election day for not attending its sorties.

B was a coalition partner of L although not an election ally: B and R were the top contenders during the previous elections for the vice-presidential position. It was open-secret that some L members formed a faction which supported B that led to R's loss. Factions within parties are not foreign to other countries as well but not to support a member of another party altogether. Both B and R became cabinet members afterwards. In a turn of events, U under B now takes the role of opposition.

B was considering M as his vice-president. B was a critic of M's father's administration. T is also a vice-presidential aspirant who choose to support P as president. P sent her son to T's party declaration. C is another vice-presidential aspirant yet without a running-mate. C courts D to be his president. M also did a C. In other places, president is chosen first who chooses his vice-president. M, T, and C are all members of party N.

I'm beginning to think the Philippines has a one-party system. A party which is only highly factionalized.