President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte during the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp program kick-off activity at the Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo, Manila on July 18, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File 

MANILA — Infighting among factions in the administration coalition could further distract government from addressing pressing issues like inflation and access to power and water, analysts said Monday, adding social services could be "hijacked" for political points.

Cracks in the UniTeam coalition widened on Sunday after former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at a gathering in Davao City.

The Davao City rally, held in parallel to the government-organized "Bagong Pilipinas" kick-off event at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, saw Mayor Duterte calling for the President’s resignation and his father reviving drug allegations against Marcos.

"[W]hat worries me is how our very limited social protection programs — like 4Ps and DSWD cash assistance projects — and other public service projects will be hijacked by either of the parties even more for patronage spending," political scientist Cleve Arguelles told ABS-CBN News.

Arguelles, president and CEO of public opinion research firm WR Numero Research, said that using social services for politics has become "standard" and said that "the distribution of government programs will likely be targeted towards mobilization of supporters and voters." 

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Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian earlier this month assured the public that the release of government aid like Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations is covered by guidelines.

He said that Marcos had also reminded him "to ensure that our programs are not used for any other agenda other than helping people."

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POWER STRUGGLE DISTRACTS GOVERNMENT

Arjan Aguirre, a faculty member of the political science department at Ateneo de Manila University, said that the Marcos administration has been busy trying to manage tension within the ruling coalition.

"This power struggle has deprived us of the needed resources to ease the plight of the growing number of poor households. It also robs us of the needed interventions to strengthen our damaged democratic institutions," he told ABS-CBN News.

Marcos, at the "Bagong Pilipinas" rally on Sunday night, called on the public to participate in and contribute to nation-building.

"It is the time for bold thinking, accompanied by the strong will to execute it," he said. 

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"As I have said many times, the mandate of the people should be devoted to achieving the grand, not wasted on the petty."

He also ordered government employees to provide better services to citizens.

“Bawal ang tamad at makupad sa pamahalaan. Walang puwang ang mabagal at sagabal sa serbisyo publiko," he said.

The President said that government workers should eliminate red tape, corruption and waste.

"Palitan na yung sungit ninyo ng ngiti," he said. "Bawal ang mga pang-aapi at naghahari-harian. You are servants of the people, not their lords." 

"Huwag pahirapan ang taumbayan."

TENSION COULD REACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Arguelles said that tension between factions has at least led to an informal "check and balance" on each other.

He said Sen. Imee Marcos alleging the use of public funds to mobilize support for a controversial People's Initiative campaign that has put the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte camps at odds with each other is one example of that.

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"So, some forces may take advantage that they’re sharing information about each other’s activities that may otherwise be hard to reach for the public," he said.

Anthony Lawrence Borja, a political science professor at De La Salle University, said the apparent rift at the top could affect relations between the national government and local government units, "especially among local parties and politicians who can end up in any of the conflicting factions." 

He added, this "the road to the upcoming 2025 elections might be paved by an amplified sense of territoriality" on the local level.

The UniTeam coalition was backed by the country's largest political parties and most powerful clans and propelled Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte to an overwhelming electoral victory in 2022.