His familys popularity saw a recent resurgence largely driven by social media. Yes, people like a leader who is mabait (nice) and compassionate. Whether true or not, this emotional appeal resonates well with most voters, and has reinforced voter sympathy for him. Marcos Jr and his siblings are beneficiaries of two Swiss foundations that held stolen funds. Thats worth something. The good reason why Marcos started Martial Law is because he is protecting the country against communism. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. The Reagan White House finally realized he was a liability to U.S. interests. And thats what makes the 2022 elections different. When the Marcoses and their entourage absconded from the Philippines, it was with a stunning supply of wealth, The Los Angeles Times reported in 1986: $7.7 million in cash and $4 million in gems and jewelry, including a gold crown and three diamond-studded tiaras. He is the second child and only son of 10th . Throughout his time in public life, he has refused to apologize for rights violations and corruption during his fathers reignsaying that history should be left to the professors. But educators have shirked the task. He defeated nine other opponents by a wide margin in an election that experts say was tainted by rampant social media misinformation. The glint of celebrity also didnt hurt. After Marcos Snr died in exile in 1989, the sitting president, Corazon Aquino, allowed the other members of his family to return to the Philippines, with Imelda Marcos facing more than 60 criminal . The end of the Marcos era was only the beginning of the familys troubles. . But that was only a sliver of what they had amassed, and in the following decades, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos would be hit with criminal and civil fraud charges filed in the United States and accusations by the Philippine government that the couple plundered billions of dollars from their home country, stashed millions in Swiss and Hong Kong bank accounts, and tried to profit from clandestine investments in New York real estate. Marcos Jr. was 8 years old when his father was elected president in 1965. Why is it important to subscribe? His supporters will say that Marcos Jr.s presidency will signal the countrys democracy [is] moving forward and looking to the future., Whether or not Bongbong Marcos will be like his father once he takes office, meanwhile, remains to be seenbut experts agree that hes likely not to follow his fathers strongman footsteps.He doesnt have the kind of drive and ambition and scale of vision that his father had, says Heydarian. If the Marcos name was once reviled among many Filipinos who associated it with cronyism, rights abuses, excess wealth and shoes Marcos wife, Imelda, owned an infamous footwear collection the political dynasty appears to have reclaimed the highest office in the Southeast Asian nation, a longtime U.S. ally. Singapores former PM Lee Kuan Yew, used that term pillage to describe Marcos. Many people are voting for Marcos, not because they like Marcos more; they just dont like being told and being treated as bad [people], says Antonio Contreras, a political analyst in Manila. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Marcos Jr could yet be disqualified, thus paving the way for Leni Robredo to become the Philippines third woman president, but the numbers are stacked against her. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Answer (1 of 9): A lot of my Filipino friends tell me they will vote for for Bongbong Marcos, the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, in the 2022 elections. His opponents find it hard to chip away from that perception. A recent investigation found that newly-made Twitter accounts were used to promote the dictators son and attack critics in the lead-up to elections. How does disinformation work in flesh and blood? When the opposition finally went to the grassroots and had a dialogue with Marcos supporters, it was inspiring, monumental, and important. (an article by cire oiraunay) i deeply cried when i discovered this very shocking truthful history of the greatness and brilliance of our beloved former president ferdinand e. marcos sr. then, he said: "i have committed many sins in my life. His presidential hopes benefited from name recognition and familial and regional loyalties as well as a deep-pocketed campaign that propagated a form of revisionist history, said Lily Ann Villaraza, chair of the Philippine studies departmentat City College of San Francisco. The protest poster read: Mamaga sana ang mukha ng nagpapatay kay Ninoy. I hope whoever had Ninoy killed gets a swollen face (Well, its funnier in Tagalog.). But the power plant was never used, and the countrys external debt soared from $800 million at the start of Marcos first term in 1965 to $28.3 billion when he was oustedmore than 80% of the countrys GDP. The reason for the takedown: it violatedFacebooks policies against coordinated in-authentic behaviour the use of fake accounts, made to look real, in a coordinated campaign to promote messages or a political agenda. The narrative today is Filipinos have come to take it as a given that all their politicians steal anyway. She's been a journalist since 2011 and has written about Congress, the national police, and the Liberal Party for Rappler. - Prof. Richard Heydarian, policy adviser and chair of geopolitics at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). But for those who did not experience his fathers regime, the younger Marcos appears to offer a refreshing choiceespecially after preceding presidents failed to solve the grinding poverty, weak infrastructure, and deep-seated corruption that dominate the daily lives of so many Filipinos. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Marcos Sr. was brought down with US support. Yet, even if Marcos Jr does succeed Duterte, no gold will be passed around. He has over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, around 2 million subscribers on YouTube, and another 5.3 million followers on Facebook. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon. The Manila Times Podcasts. Digital Bongbong Marcos Jnr and his family face arrest in the US for defying a court order to pay US$353 million to human rights victims. More than three decades later, in October 2021, the late dictator's son and namesake, 64-year-old Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., announced his intention to become the next president of the. His campaign portrayed him as a champion of the poor about one-fifth of Filipinos live in extreme poverty. But there was also little for people to pick apart during the campaign, said Vicente Rafael, author of The Sovereign Trickster: Death and Laughter in the Age of Duterte and aprofessor of Southeast Asian history at the University of Washington in Seattle. The underlying message: he will unite the country against the forces that kept the country weak and the people poor. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is the most multilingual president of the Philippines, being able to speak ten languages. Ronald Reagan, as California governor, struck an alliance with Marcos that stretched into his own presidency. More than half of the countrys population was born after 1986, and thus have no personal memory of martial law or the catalysts for the Marcoses downfall. This is like just cementing the ruling class, La Via, the former dean of the Ateneo School of Government, says. In a way, Marcos was right. Three of these come to mind: (1) His respect and civility toward his official family. But President Rodrigo Dutertes daughter, Sara (age 43), decided to stand down and contest the vice presidency, instead. Rob Reyes/Rappler. But this is reductive. Marcos Jr.s opponents repeatedly bring up his fathers legacy, but experts say that is backfiring. With election day set on May 9, 2022 67days away this begs the question: whats his message that resonates well with Filipino voters today? Marcos Jr's deliberate non-appearance in major presidential debates may seem, to many, as a lost opportunity. 'Bongbong' is the son of former president Ferdinand Marcos who was ousted by a people's uprising in 1986 The latest polls show Bongbong as the favorite pick for VP CNN It's been 30 years. The Marcos and Duterte alliance, said Stratbase Group founder and managing director Victor Andres Manhit, led to a consolidation of President Rodrigo Dutertes base, even if the president had not endorsed a candidate after long-time aide Bong Go dropped out of the race for the presidency. Political scientists cite 8reasons why BBM enjoys an unprecedented +50% of voter preference, and why the struggling opposition should care to listen and tweak their campaign: The Tallano gold is part of a bigger narrative to distort history, and burnish the image of Marcoses, through trolls-for-hire armies sustaining a venomous anti-oligarch, and historical distortion campaign. A newer January 2022 Pulse Asia survey, which gauged what voters consider the most in picking a presidential candidate, found that not corrupt, has a clear platform of action, and extensive experience in governance were the three top considerations. Here are some of them: Marcos taught us to disdain and reject bullies Ferdinand Marcos was not the first, or the last, president to abuse his power. They wrapped themselves up in this very strange bubble where only their supporters would hear what they had to say, which was nothing, Rafael said. Ferdinand Marcos Sr and his family including Bongbong Marcos Jr were forced into exile during the EDSA Revolution in 1986. But from 1972 to 1981, Marcos also controlled the Philippines through martial law, which he declared was necessary in order to combat perceived threats to the country from communists and Muslim separatists. (Podcast). By providing an email address. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our, Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com, Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number. During that time, dissidents and political opponents were jailed and described being tortured and sexually abused by soldiers. By providing an email address. The ultimate goal: catapult Marcos' namesake and only son Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr, also known as BBM, to crush his rivals in the May ballot, and succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. Read More: How the Son of a Dictator Became So Popular in the Philippines. But then again, after what Marcos did, Filipinos are rightfully suspicious of anyone wanting to fool around with laws meant to prevent power-hungry politicians. Specifically, unity against the ruling oligarchs. If Sara wins the vice-presidency, too, then the country could have another woman in its long line of top political posts. 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