IRIA News

Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. won the 2022 general elections with a landslide in a historic battle to lead Philippine’s fragile democracy.

It would take days before the official results are announced, as was the case in 2016. However, based on the exit polls and unofficial results, Marcos Jr. has a clear lead of at least 30 percent which is enough to propel him into the presidential office. 

Commonly known in Filipino politics by his boyhood nickname ‘Bongbong’, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the second child and the only son of former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos with his wife Imelda Marcos. Marcos Jr.’s victory does not come as surprise as many opinion polls had predicted the return of the Marcos clan back into power after being ousted by a people’s revolt, 36 years ago.

The Marcos family was under attack after it was accused of plundering billions of funds from the state during their time in power. The family fled the country in 1988 when Marcos Jr. was still 28 years old.

Before his father’s dictatorship ended, Marcos Jr. attended Oxford University and studied philosophy, politics, and economics. However, according to some sources, he never graduated. After returning to the Philippines in the mid-1970s he held several political posts in his father’s government.

After spending some time with his family in exile in Hawaii he returned back to his home country and engaged in politics particularly focusing on Ilocos Norte, a constituency where his family had a stronghold. He served as congressman and governor in Ilocos Norte before making his way into national politics in 2010, after being elected as a senator.

Vice President

Marcos Jr. won his presidential campaign along with his running-mate Sara Duterte, who was running for the Vice President. Before winning the Vice President’s elections  Sara Duterte was serving as the mayor of Davos City. She is chairman of her party (Hugpong ng Pagbabago), and the daughter of the outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

Despite being closely related to President Duterte, Sara Duterte holds very different political views than her father. She has publicly displayed displeasure over her father’s approach to dealing with the South China Sea issue and several other policies, and referred to her father’s political party, PDP-Laban, as a ‘sitcom’.

Voting day

A high turnout of voters was seen on elections day among the nation’s 67.5 million eligible voters, with many lining up in front of the polling stations since dawn to cast their votes. The winner of the elections would take over the office of President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte’s government has been condemned by many for its drastic actions and crackdown during its ‘war on drugs’. Several extra-judicial wrongdoings were reported during the campaign that focused on using administrative power against the drug cartels in the Philippines.

By the end of the polling day, Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte had racked up a staggering lead against their main rivals Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan. Although Marcos Jr. has not declared a victory yet, he is well on course to rack up 60% of the votes. Marcos Jr. would be elected president with one of the heaviest margins since his father’s rule.

Marcos Jr. thanked his supporters and media while speaking via video link from his headquarters during his brief speech at the end of the elections day. “Any endeavor as large as this does not involve one person,” Marcos said. “It involves very, very many people working in very, very many different ways,” he stated.

Although Marcos Jr. avoids talking about the controversies related to his family’s corruption, he is never shy of using the legacy of Marcos’s name. A massive social media drive played an important role during Marcos Jr.’s presidential campaign by redefining his father’s era and relating it to his current presidential campaign.

Other Candidates

Marcos’s main rival and one of the most favorite running candidates for presidential office was Leni Robredo, the 57 years old human rights lawyer and economist. Leni Robredo has been serving as the Vice President under the outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. Despite being the vice president during the previous administration, Robredo made it clear that her policies as the country’s president would not be the same as Rodrigo Duterte’s.

Robredo entered mainstream politics in 2012 after her husband, a former cabinet member, died during a plane crash. In 2013, she successfully ran to become a representative for Camarines Sur in Congress. As vice-president, Robredo took a prominent role in distributing PPE and testing kits during the Covid-19 pandemic. She criticized current President Rodrigo Duterte for lacking decisive leadership during the crisis.

The other candidates are trailing Marcos and Robredo far behind in the polls. They include boxing champion and national hero Manny Pacquiao who has promised to tackle corruption and poverty and Manila’s city mayor Isko Moreno who promised more infrastructure spending and a harsher line on China. However, the lead resided with the top two candidates with Marcos Jr. heading towards a convincing victory as the next President of the Philippines.