The 2022 Philippine elections reaffirmed the popularity of the Duterte and Marcos clans. However, it also showed the strength of then-Vice President Leni Robredo, as seen in the big crowds she drew at her political rallies. Part of the strength of each of the three comes from their group of supporters—the Diehard Duterte Supporters, the “Loyalists” (of Marcos), and the “Kakampinks” of Robredo. Drawing from insights on relational sociology and Brubaker's works on identities and groups, I analyze the seeming trend of groupism emerging lately involving the said political groups. I specifically question two implicit assumptions seen with the trend: (1) that each group is monolithic, and (2) that each member is part of the group due to their strong belief of the candidates’ causes. In contrast, I highlight how complex the situation is, highlighting the relational nature of self-identification in groups, the categorization process, and the discursive and relational nature of the groups’ identities.
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