THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Philippines comes full circle as Marcos Jnr poised for presidency

Philippines comes full circle as Marcos Jnr poised for presidency

The upcoming Philippines presidential election looks set to restore to power the family of an infamous dictator, allowing it to whitewash its past misrule and rewrite history.

This Southeast Asian country of 109 million people appears unable to escape the influence of the Marcos family as it prepares to vote on Monday. Polls show that 64-year-old Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is likely to win the election by a landslide, succeeding Rodrigo Duterte who has been at the helm for six years.

Although Duterte is still very popular, the Philippines constitution limits the term of each president to six years.

If Marcos wins, he will return to Malacañang Palace, from where his father – Ferdinand Marcos Sr – ruled for almost 21 years between 1965 and 1986. One of the late 20th century’s most controversial rulers, Marcos was infamous for the corruption, extravagance and brutality that marked his time in office.

For Marcos Jr, the brutal history of his father’s rule and the grandiose lifestyle of his mother Imelda may come back to haunt him as president. While many Filipinos believe Marcos Snr brought order and security to the country, others remember his rule for rampant corruption and human rights violations including extrajudicial torture and killings of his opponents.

Philippines comes full circle as Marcos Jnr poised for presidency

Marcos Sr died in 1989 in Hawaii after fleeing into exile.

Many analysts say Marcos Jr’s presidential campaign marks the family’s attempt to take back power. However, many victims who were tortured and incarcerated under Marcos Sr’s martial law are horrified that the son of the ousted dictator may return to the Malacañang Palace.

The presidential palace located in the centre of Manila housed the Marcos family before they were toppled by the People Power Revolution in February 1986. The family fled to Hawaii after loading more than 300 crates of valuables on an Air Force flight. Ferdinand and Imelda are thought to have escaped with billions of dollars of valuables they had accumulated over their two decades in power. The couple currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever theft from a government.

Philippines comes full circle as Marcos Jnr poised for presidency

Though Marcos Jr is not identical to his father, he is seen as the natural successor to Marcos Sr. He is the son who benefited from his family’s affluence and power at a time when Filipinos were deprived of their basic human rights. When Marcos Sr died in 1989, Imelda and their children were allowed back into the country, where they faced trials on charges of corruption and tax evasion. Imelda has faced seven bribery charges since 2018 but never seen the inside of a jail cell thanks to appeals and bail.

About 65.7 million people are eligible to vote in the presidential election. Of them, 56 per cent are aged between 18 and 41 and have no first-hand experience of Marcos Sr’s authoritarian rule.

Analysts believe this fact will boost Marcos Jr’s bid to whitewash his family’s legacy and rewrite national history.

If Marcos Jr wins the election, he will become the first Philippine president unable to enter the United States, where he and his mother face a fine of US$353.6-million for failing to offer restitution to victims of Marcos rule. The two are also banned from removing any assets from Ferdinand’s estate in Hawaii.

This case may deepen the rift between the Philippines and the US, its onetime close ally. Duterte has never once visited the United States during his six years as president, instead leaning towards China.

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