For Ferdinand Marcos Jr., popularly known as Bongbong, the upcoming elections is akin to returning the glory to his otherwise infamous family. Son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the senator currently maintains his lead in the presidential race and is favoured by 56% of respondents in April, according to a Pulse Asia survey accessed by news agency Bloomberg.
What is worth noticing is that Bongbong’s supporters, mostly, are young men and women who are well below the age of 30 years – and are mostly unaware or care less about the senator’s father, who arrested more than 50,000 dissidents. The Philippines’ Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board, which paid more than $200 million in compensation to more than 11,000 victims of human rights violations during 1972-86, including some 2,300 deaths and 1,900 torture cases, pegs that the numbers could be higher.
The 50,000 dissidents arrested during the martial law imposed in 1972 is a figure that Marcos Sr. himself admitted to during an interview with Amnesty International.
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) also says that the Marcos’ amassed $5 billion to $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth during the period of dictatorship.
However, to Marcos Jr’s supporters who are braving the rains and heat to cheer for him during his rallies these numbers do not matter. Alan German, president of Agents International, a public relations and political communications company in Manila, told Japanese news agency Nikkei Asia that this is a case where double standards are in full display as ‘the sins of the father do not translate to the son’.
Marcos Jr’s promises of improving the economy has struck a chord with the voters. Oil price subsidies, a state-backed credit program for farmers and calls to restart the $2.2 billion Bataan Nuclear Power Plant have impressed young voters. The young voters – between 18 and 41 – are an age group that didn’t experience the dictatorship. The voters are also unfazed by former Philippines’ First Lady Imelda Marcos’ 3,000-pair shoe collection amassed through corruption while ordinary Filipinos starved and faced police brutality.
It is also worth noting the former president Corazon Aquino – whose husband’s shooting led to the downfall of the Marcos’ – allowed the Marcos’ to return and the latter did not even ask for forgiveness or restitution from the Filipino people. Also, Rodrigo Duterte, the outgoing firebrand president, with his autocratic style laid the framework for the return of the Marcos’. It should also be pointed out that the young voters are also disillusioned with the opposition who, according to them, did not do enough to alleviate poverty and improve school education and healthcare.
Marcos Jr and other Marcos’ face several cases in the Philippines top court but no Marcos has ever been jailed.
Facing Marcos Jr in the elections is Leni Robredo, the country’s incumbent vice president, but she is only favoured by 24% of the voters. Next to her is world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao, favoured by only 7%.
From Washington to Canberra, all eyes will be on the Philippines this week as more democracies tilt toward authoritarianism.
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