Marcos pledges 2028 endorsement but does not name candidate

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated on Friday, August 14, 2026, that he would endorse a candidate in the 2028 presidential election, but said it was too early to name whom he would support. Speaking at a luncheon with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Manila, Marcos confirmed he would back a successor aligned with his administration's agenda, particularly its anticorruption campaign.

"I will certainly endorse a candidate in the 2028 elections. Who that is, I cannot tell you because even I don't know," Marcos said. He emphasized that only one person had formally declared their candidacy so far, a reference to Vice President Sara Duterte, who announced her presidential bid in February. Marcos added that his political party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, would form alliances with other parties, though the final coalition structure remained subject to negotiations.

The president's remarks set the stage for a significant political contest. Sara Duterte, the estranged vice president and a vocal critic of Marcos, is currently facing an impeachment trial in the Senate that began on July 6. She is charged with betrayal of public trust, graft,...