BBM support for Kakampinks in 2028 a matter of survival: analyst

By Carlito Pablo

Philippine President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr. feels uneasy about Vice President Sara Duterte becoming the next president in 2028.

It’s because Marcos is afraid that his erstwhile ally may undo reforms that he has initiated in government.

“That is a great worry for me because these are big things and we have just started,” Marcos said in a June 1, 2026 ABS-CBN report.

“We are changing the way that we govern. We are trying to reform bureaucracy and these things do not get done instantly, and it’s very, very easy to go off the rails,” the president also said in the report that cited what he told the Bloomberg news agency.

But according to Joel Ruiz Butuyan, a human rights lawyer and opinion writer, Marcos has graver matters to worry about.

In his June 11, 2026 column with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Butuyan wrote that Marcos’ and his family’s very survival are at risk if Duterte seizes power in the 2028 presidential election.

“The very lives of President Marcos and his family could be in serious danger if the Dutertes reconquer Malacañang, because hell has no fury like the Dutertes scorned,” Butuyan stated.

Butuyan did not pull this out of thin air.

As many would recall, Duterte revealed in a November 2025 media conference that she has contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta, and Marcos’ cousin and then House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, in the event that she is slain.

Duterte also said that she was not joking about this matter.

The vice president is currently facing impeachment trial before the Senate, and one of the four articles of impeachment against her is her stated threat to have the president assassinated.

Duterte has been consistently leading in the polls among potential presidential candidates in 2028. However, her ratings appear to be sliding and could further erode during her impeachment trial.

Going back to Butuyan’s June 11, 2026 column titled “The three political forces in 2028”, the threat against Marcos may compel the president to support a credible challenger against Duterte.

According to the column, this contender will come from the so-called Kakampink block of former vice president and now Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

For background, “kakampink” is a blend of the words “kakampi”, which means ally or friend, and “pink”, which is the political colour of Robredo.

To recall, Robredo ran in the 2022 presidential election, but lost to Marcos, whose vice-presidential candidate at the time was Duterte.

The Marcos-Duterte alliance unraveled quickly after the 2022 election.

“The most interesting factor emerging in the run-up to 2028 is the lack of an heir-apparent or the absence of a successor being groomed by the Marcos camp,” Butuyan wrote. 

“As a result, it’s becoming clear that the Marcos family is forced to have an alliance—just like it did with the DDS in 2022, but this time with the Kakampink forces.”

Again for background, DDS stands for Duterte Diehard Supporters, a force that emerged when Duterte’s father Rodrigo ran for and won the presidency in 2016.

The elder Duterte was arrested in March 2025 in the Manila international airport. He is facing trial for alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands in connection with his bloody war against drugs.

The arrest of Duterte happened under the presidency of Marcos.

According to Butuyan, Marcos and his family will not face the same mortal danger as with Sara Duterte becoming president if the Kakampink block prevails in 2028.

“At least, if the Kakampinks prosecute them, they will be accorded due process, and the Marcoses have had decades of experience navigating to their advantage the country’s judicial processes,” Butuyan wrote.

Robredo has said that she is not looking to run again for president and will instead seek another term as Naga city mayor in 2028.

Meanwhile, a movement has launched to support a potential presidential bid by Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros.

It wasn’t the first time that Butuyan cited the existential danger against Marcos if Duterte becomes the next president.

“We have a preview of the propensity for violent vendetta by the Duterte children, from the way they have openly threatened assassination and vengeance against an incumbent President, his family, and their allies,” Butuyan wrote in his Philippine Daily Inquirer column on November 13, 2025. 

“If they can do it to the reigning Marcoses, they can do it to anyone else,” Butuyan stated in his column titled “Forward or backward in 2028”.

Butuyan warned, “There’s a huge reason to fear that violence will be worse compared to the first Duterte presidency. And this time, there will be no ICC to run to for recourse.”