A house divided: How infighting shattered Alyansa’s hold in Mindanao
With six of the 11 Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas candidates in the Magic 12 of the Commission on Elections’ partial and unofficial vote count, the coalition considers the results of the midterm elections a victory. — File photo
MANILA, Philippines—When the dust of the 2025 midterm elections settled, the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas found itself grappling with unexpected losses in Mindanao—a region it once confidently claimed as its stronghold.
In Sultan Kudarat, the shock was palpable. Only two of the alliance’s endorsed candidates made it to the province’s Magic 12, while nationwide, only six out of eleven secured Senate seats.
At the heart of this political unraveling is a deep-rooted conflict within the alliance itself, tearing apart its two main factions: Lakas-CMD and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP). What was once touted as a united front for “Bagong Pilipinas” now appears fractured beyond quick repair.
Bitter rivals in a supposed alliance
For Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Ali Mangundadatu, who serves as the vice president for internal affairs of Lakas-CMD, the breakdown of Alyansa’s campaign in Mindanao was less of a surprise and more of an inevitable collapse.
Speaking candidly in multiple interviews, Mangundadatu laid bare the cracks in what many had assumed was a rock-solid partnership.
He pointed to Anton Lagdameo, the Special Assistant to the President, and Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., national president of PFP, as key figures in the deepening divide within the alliance. According to Mangundadatu, the rift was not just a matter of strategy—it was personal.
Local political ambitions, he said, outweighed the administration’s vision of Bagong Pilipinas.
“Within and among the group itself, sa Partido Federal, with SAP Anton Lagdameo, with Jun Tamayo, nagkakaroon na nga ng political divide. Inuna kasi nila ang pulitika bago ang serbisyo. Inuna nila yung kanilang personal political interest,” Mangundadatu stated.
(Within the group itself, in Partido Federal, with SAP Anton Lagdameo and Jun Tamayo, a political divide is already happening. They prioritized politics over service. They put their personal political interests first.)
Instead of focusing on grassroots development and collective strength, Mangundadatu claimed many local officials chose to secure their own political survival. That decision, he emphasized, left the alliance fractured and vulnerable.
“Imbes na naidala yung Alyansa, nahulog tuloy sa mga lokal na kandidato na unahin nilang iligtas mga sarili nila. I think that’s one of the reasons why last year, there were already problems and other programs didn’t continue,” he added, underscoring the growing frustration among Mindanao voters.
(Instead of bringing the Alyansa together, it ended up with local candidates prioritizing their own survival. I think that’s one of the reasons why last year, there were already problems and other programs didn’t continue.)
“Hindi nagkaroon ng sama-sama, nagkaroon talaga ng divide,” Mangundadatu admitted.
(There was no unity; there was really a divide.)
Mangundadatu stressed that the infighting was not isolated to their province; it happened nationwide.
“Instead na nagkaisa pagdating sa iisang direction o layunin, nag focus tayo sa away sa lokal. Maybe it’s because of some personal or political interest but at the end of the day, nakita naman ng lahat, hindi nakapagdeliver ang mga yan because of yung distorbo na pag aaway-away sa local politics,” he stressed.
(Instead of uniting towards a single direction or goal, we ended up focusing on local disputes. Maybe it’s because of some personal or political interests, but at the end of the day, everyone saw that they couldn’t deliver because of the disruption caused by infighting in local politics.)
“Instead na nagkaisa sana, imbes nagkaroon ng magandang samahan ay nagkaroon ng misunderstanding [at] away, inuna ang local politics bago ang national,” he added.
(Instead of coming together, instead of building a strong alliance, there was misunderstanding and conflict. Local politics was prioritized over national interests.)
Sultan Kudarat vs. national performance
The effects of this internal conflict were glaring in Sultan Kudarat’s election results.
Among the province’s top 12 senatorial winners, only two came from the administration-backed slate: Camille Villar and Bong Revilla. Meanwhile, Bam Aquino, who is aligned with the opposition, clinched a key position.
READ: LIST: Magic 12 senators based on official nat’l certificate of canvass
“It’s a bit of mixed emotions, but at the end of the day, [this is the decision of the people.] Here in Sultan Kudarat province, I have been very vocal from the very beginning, it’s not a command vote,” said Mangundadatu.
“In fact in Sultan Kudarat, intelligent and wise voters po ang nandiyan. he only thing that we can do as leaders is to influence them because leadership is all about influence. But you know, influence has its own limits,” he added.
Nationally, Alyansa fared slightly better, with six out of eleven endorsed candidates entering the Magic 12. Still, it was a far cry from the dominance projected by the coalition and its national campaign manager, Toby Tiangco.
READ: Senate ‘Magic 12’ mixed bag of political ties
The disarray in Mindanao exposed vulnerabilities that opposition candidates and even administration-aligned independents capitalized on.
Mangundadatu pointed to the influence of PFP in local politics as a significant factor. He specifically cited the situation in South Cotabato, where, despite being the stronghold of the PFP president, Alyansa-backed candidates struggled to secure votes in his own municipality of Tupi.
In Tamayo’s own municipality of Tupi, the Alyansa slate was decimated—a loss that Mangundadatu described as concerning.
“Ang concern diyan, siya na ang presidente ng Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, hindi pa nanalo ang Alyansa doon mismo sa kanyang municipality,” he noted, calling it emblematic of a larger collapse.
(The concern there is that he’s the president of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, yet the Alyansa did not even win in his own municipality.)
Lagdameo’s influence
At the center of this widening rift is Lagdameo, whose political influence in Mindanao, according to Mangundadatu, went far beyond his mandate as Special Assistant to the President.
The governor accused Lagdameo of micromanaging local politics to the detriment of the alliance’s unity.
“Nagkaroon talaga ng away doon kasi si SAP Anton Lagdameo, talagang nagkaroon ng deep hands operation. Talagang inoverrun niya yung local politics sa Maguindanao,” Mangundadatu recounted.
(There was really a conflict there because SAP Anton Lagdameo had a deep hands operation. He truly overran the local politics in Maguindanao.)
He pointed to four principles that were promised to local leaders during the formation of Alyansa: the equity of the incumbent, national assistance, unity under the President, and the vision of Bagong Pilipinas.
But those promises, he said, were only words. On the ground, he and his fellow Lakas-CMD officials were left fending for themselves.
“Ang kumalaban sa akin ay mula mismo sa Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Ganon din ang aking vice governor, ang aking board members, at lahat ng ating mga mayor. I have to make it clear again, yung Lakas pati Partido Federal ng Pilipinas both of them kasama ng Bagong Alyansa,”Mangundadatu shared.
(The ones who opposed me were from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. My vice governor, my board members, and all our mayors were from there. I have to make it clear again, both Lakas and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas are part of the Bagong Alyansa.)
“Both of them kasama doon sa directive na pagkakaisa ni Presidnet Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. Eh ang problema, sila mismo na dapat nagtutulungan sila pa ang nag aaway-away,” he added.
(Both of them are included in the directive for unity under President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. But the problem is, those who were supposed to work together were the ones fighting each other.)
The cost of division
The political feud did more than cost votes; it disrupted government programs in Mindanao. Mangundadatu pointed to stalled projects under Bagong Pilipinas, including medical assistance, scholarships, and financial aid.
“May pondo, pero dahil sa pulitika, sinabi, wag na muna ituloy. This happened even way before the campaign period,” he explained.
(There were funds, but because of politics, it was decided not to continue. This happened even way before the campaign period.)
“It happened last year pa, even before filing of candidacy in September and August, doon pa lang nakita ng lahat, oh teka, there’s something wrong. Bakit yung mga objectives ng Bagong Pilipinas, bakit yung ibang mga programs ng national government, hindi nararamdaman?”
(It happened last year, even before the filing of candidacy in September and August. Even then, everyone already saw—wait, there’s something wrong. Why are the objectives of Bagong Pilipinas and the other programs of the national government not being felt?)
The governor was convinced that the problem did not stem from a lack of resources but rather from political interference, specifically from Lagdameo. Mangundadatu did not mince words as he laid out the political landscape in Maguindanao and Mindanao as a whole.
“I think the President is informed naman. We tried to appeal and we tried to ask help from our partners in the national government. Ang problema kasi yang si SAP Anton siya ang naghahari dito sa Maguindanao,” Mangundadatu said bluntly.
(I think the President is informed. We tried to appeal and ask for help from our partners in the national government. The problem is, SAP Anton is the one ruling here in Maguindanao.)
He claimed that Lagdameo wielded enormous influence—not just over political decisions but also over the design and execution of national programs. For Mangundadatu, this was where the cracks in Bagong Pilipinas began to show.
“Siya po yung nagde-design not only yung pulitika, siya rin yung nagde-design ng programa eh dyan nagkakaroon ng problema dahil sa pulitika, nasakripisyo yung programa,” he added.
(He’s the one designing not only the politics but also the programs, and that’s where the problem arises—because of politics, the programs get sacrificed.)
The governor described how local leaders and communities felt left out and abandoned, especially when long-promised projects failed to materialize.
Mangundadatu pointed out that the political infighting didn’t just cause inconvenience—it fundamentally altered the perception of Bagong Pilipinas among Mindanaoans.
“I think this is one of the reasons din kung bakit maraming nagtatampo. Ang dami dami pong nag expect sa Bagong Pilipinas kasi totoo maganda talaga yung objective ng ating pangulo. Ang problema lang hindi naramdamamn agad agad,” he admitted.
(I think this is also one of the reasons why many people are disappointed. So many had high expectations for Bagong Pilipinas because, honestly, the President’s objectives are really good. The problem is, they were not felt right away.)
The sentiment of disappointment grew stronger as the months wore on. When elections came, many Mindanaoans reflected not just on the promises made by the current administration but also on the track record of the previous one.
Hope amidst defeat
Despite the setbacks, Tiangco saw the results as a vote of confidence for the administration.
“The objective of the Alyansa campaign was to rally support for the election of senators who could bring their competence and experience to the Senate and help the administration in its efforts to uplift the welfare of our kababayans,” Tiangco said.
READ: Alyansa considers poll results ‘vote of confidence’ for admin
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. echoed the optimism. Speaking at a thanksgiving event for the media, he acknowledged the disappointment but stressed the need to look forward.
“We all wish we had better results, but you know, we live to fight another day. But now it’s time, I think, to put all the politics aside, it’s time to put all of the issues that were raised during the election, and only talk about not political issues but developmental issues — healthcare issues, education issues, agricultural issues, supply issues, all of these things,” Marcos said.
“Sana naman, ako lagi kong binibilang ang araw na natitira sa term ko, at kailangan matapos natin ‘yong mga nasimulan natin,” he added.
(I hope you could help, I have been counting the days left under my term, and we need to finish all the things that we have started.)
READ: Marcos on Alyansa bets: We hoped for more but we live to fight again
As Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas looks to move forward, Mindanao stands as a harsh reminder of what happens when political unity breaks down. Mangundadatu’s account paints a picture of a coalition splintering from within—what was meant to be a united front now strained by internal conflicts and political maneuvering.
