Following the People Power Revolution in 1986 in Philippines, the Marcos family remained in exile until their return to the Philippines in 1991 to face corruption charges. Despite the 1987 Article II, Section 26 of the constitution which prohibits political dynasties as defined by law and guarantees equal access to opportunities for public service, Marcos Sr’s wife and daughter, Imelda and Imee Marcos hold seats in the House in of Representatives. Despite standing trial for several offences, the former first lady has not been jailed.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the former dictator of Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, kicked off his campaign with the slogan, “Together we shall rise again” , invoking a sense of nostalgia for his father’s regime, painting it as the golden era of the Philippines. Marcos was accused of spreading disinformation through social media channels, appealing to the youth who, for the most part, do not recognize the brutality of his father’s martial period. Marcos's campaign was also fueled by a flooding of fabricated stories and an apparent disregard for the atrocities committed by Marcos Sr. Although Marcos denied any organized online campaigns, numerous stories, to his benefit, began circulating online. “The disinformation infrastructure was there for a long time. It’s not as if it just sprouted during this campaign. Marcos’s plan to reach the presidency has been in action for decades,” said Aries Arugay, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Manila. Marcos avoided TV debates and media interviews, all the while keeping his proposed future approach to policy minimal.
Days leading to elections, surveys conducted showed that Marcos had a clear lead over his opponents, with Leni Robredo, the current vice-president, second. Robredo is a former human rights lawyer who advocated for marginalized groups. She campaigned with the promise to end corruption and enact good governance. Marcos’s alleged online campaign was aimed to either detract from Robredo’s image or enhance Marcos’s. So, as many as 2 million Robredo volunteers began to conduct door-to-door campaigns, to counter the onslaught of Robredo disinformation. It was a last-ditch effort to rally Robredo support; all those attempts failed.
More than three decades after his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s death, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr has been elected as the 17th president of the Republic of the Philippines. He is set to take up office in June, with his deputy president, Sarah Duterte, daughter of the outgoing president, Rodrigo Duterte. Rodrigo Duterte has not openly expressed support for the incoming administration, he has however reportedly called Marcos Jr a weak leader .
The outcome of the Philippines presidential election is particularly concerning to the US. The US worries that the election of Marcos may erode democracy in Asia and complicate its efforts geared towards minimizing growing Chinese influence in the Western Pacific. Duterte, as president, fostered close ties with Russia and China, while occasionally attacking the US. Moreover, Marcos’s election comes after the Biden administration just unveiled a strategy to broaden and strengthen US engagement and relations, to ensure security alliances aimed to mitigate and address China’s influence.
Marcos has been vague about his foreign policy objectives however, he has mentioned that he wants to pursue closer ties with China, even going so far as to negate a 2016 tribunal ruling in the Hague to invalidate most of China’s historical claims to the South China Sea. He states that he would attempt to maintain relations with the USA, however, a 2011 district court ruling in Hawaii may complicate the relationship. The Marcos's were fined $353M - that they are yet to pay - for a 1995 human rights class action. This might make travel to the USA difficult. Although the USA would have preferred Marcos’s rival, Leni Robredo, as president, ties with the Philippines is imperative.
"Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions," said Marcos Jr according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. Not only is Ferdinand the namesake of an infamous dictator, but he also shares his name with the Spanish conquistador who first colonized the Philippines, how ironic. Marcos Jr’s presidential election is especially jarring to the international community. It is unclear whether Marcos will mimic his father's rule or turn over a new leaf and provide the Philippines people with the economic change they need. Although Marcos claims he is not his father, his actions point to the contrary. His campaign against Rodrigo highlighted a sinister nature that praised his father and spread misinformation. His apparent alignment with China, a communist regime, points to the potential erosion of democracy in the Western Pacific. And his alliance with his deputy president, Sarah Duterte, is rather too convenient and concerning given her father’s politics and attitude towards the US. Regardless, only time will tell if Marcos Jr can truly lift his family name from infamy to prestige.
About the author
Qhawezo Ayesha Fakude is a Researcher at Africa Asia Dialogues (Afrasid). She holds a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She majored in politics and governance, anthropology and sociology.