MANILA, May 10: The Philippines woke to a new but familiar political dawn today, after an election triumph by Ferdinand Marcos Jr paved the way for a once unimaginable return to the country’s highest office for its most notorious political dynasty.
Marcos, better known as “Bongbong”, trounced bitter rival Leni Robredo to become the first candidate in recent history to win a Philippines presidential election majority, marking a stunning comeback by the son and namesake of an ousted dictator that has been decades in the making.
Marcos fled into exile in Hawaii with his family during a 1986 “people power” uprising that ended his father’s autocratic 20-year rule, and has served in congress and the senate since his return to the Philippines in 1991.
Marcos’s runaway victory in Monday’s election now looks certain with 96% of the eligible ballots counted in an unofficial tally, showing he has more than 30 million votes, double that of Robredo.
Meanwhile, an official result is expected around the end of the month.
Though Marcos, 64, campaigned on a platform of unity, political analysts say his presidency is unlikely to foster that, despite the margin of victory.
Philippine stocks .PSI fell about 3% on Tuesday (May 10), tracking weaker global equities, but with analysts also citing concerns about a Marcos win, particularly its fiscal implications if he follows through on pledges to subsidise food and fuel.
Many among the millions of Robredo voters are angered as around 400 people, mostly students, staged a protest outside the election commission against Marcos and citing election irregularities.
Thousands of opponents of Marcos senior suffered persecution during a brutal 1972-1981 era of martial law, and the family name became synonymous with plunder, cronyism and extravagant living, with billions of dollars of state wealth disappearing.
“I’m speaking from my parent’s experience of the Marcos regime, and it was terrifying, scary. My grandfather was held at gunpoint just for wanting to go to a clinic at night. So hearing that, it’s terrifying. If he would be sitting for six years, that would mean when I get married, when I get a job, when I have children, it’ll be like how my mother lived when she was younger, it was a hard life, scary,” expressed Lila Mortel, a 22-year-old student.
Additionally, the Marcos family has denied wrongdoing and many of its supporters, bloggers and social media influencers say historical accounts are distorted. – Reuters
