Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, won a landslide presidential election victory on Tuesday, 10 May, bringing back the once exiled family back to power.
According to the latest numbers, the 64-year-old senator has won 56 percent of the vote, compared to 28 percent for rival Leni Robredo (who is also the incumbent vice president).
Much of Marcos' campaign revolved around clearing his family's name through social media on a platform of "unity". He even promised to increase employment and reduce inflation in an economy that has been shattered in the past two years, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early Life
"Bongbong" was born to Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos and Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez in 1957.
He spent a significant amount of time studying in England, and was even enrolled at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, to study philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). There is, however, significant controversy around whether he obtained a degree or not.
The university says he that he failed economics, and failed politics twice. Bongbong, however, says he obtained a degree.
He then went to the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania for an MBA that he did not complete.
Early Political Career & Exile
Bongbong became the vice governor of Ilocos Norte (1980–1983) when he was only 23 years old.
Then in 1983, he led a group of young leaders on a 10-day diplomatic mission to China to commemorrate the 10th anniversary of Philippine-Chinese relations.
He rose to the post of governor in Illocos Norte on 23 March 1983, and replaced his aunt who resigned due to health issues.
Bongbong remained governor till the "People Power Revolution" of 1986 which led to the overthrow of his father, Ferdinand Marcos, as president, ending the latter's dictatorship that had lasted for two decades.
The whole family was exiled to Hawaii.
Return to the Philippines
Marcos returned from exile in 1991, and successfully contested to be an elected representative of the second district of Ilocos Norte to the Philippine House of Representatives (1992–1995).
He was again elected as governor of Ilocos Norte in 1998, and remained in power till 2007.
He then reclaimed the House seat that was held by him between 1992 and 1995, and was also appointed as deputy minority leader of the House.
Marcos then served in the Senate for six years between 2010 and 2016.
He decided to run for vice president in the 2016 general elections but finished second, losing to Leni Robredo.
In 2021, Marcos announced that he would run for president under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).
2022 Presidential Campaign
Marcos' campaign focused on a message of "uniting" the country.
He promised to increase employment and reduce inflation. He also promised to increase investment in agriculture and infrastructure.
His running mate for vice president is Sara Duterte Carpio, the daughter of the outgoing president, Rodrigo Duterte, as Marcos entered into a political alliance with the three other powerful political families in the country – the Arroyos, the Estradas, and the Dutertes.
Marcos is expected to, should he emerge victorious, woo China for infrastructure projects.
There are several petitions against Marcos' campaign, and most of them are based on his 1995 conviction for not filing tax returns.
His campaign has allegedly used disinformation tactics to erase his father's brutal past and slander his opponents.
The horrific era of Bongbong's father, characterized by widespread human rights violations, is being rewritten as one with strong economic growth and infrastructure projects.
Marcos Jr's campaign portrays his father's dictatorship as a "golden age" for the country, making false claims such as The Philippines being the third richest economy in the world back then, as reported by The Diplomat.
Additionally, a lot of his campaign's disinformation that is being spread on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube targets Robredo, who is branded as a communist and a poor administrator.
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