On 30 June 2022, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was sworn in as the Philippines President replacing Duterte. The Philippines held Presidential Elections on May 9, 2022. Ferdinand, Bongbong Marcos Jr., has garnered more than 30.8 million votes in unofficial results, with more than 97 per cent of the votes from challengers based on May 10. His closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, garnered 14.7 million votes, while former sensational boxer Manny Pacquiao could only secure third place with 3.5 million.
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of former 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr., is considered a dictator. He governed the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, enforcing emergency orders and martial law. The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. has been tainted with allegations of human rights violations, money laundering and poverty, leading to massive protests in 1986 that saw millions of people take to the streets to protest peacefully. The protest was known as the People’s Power Revolution or the EDSA Revolution.
In addition, some members of the Philippine military under the leadership of General Fidel V Ramos (later President of the Philippines in 1992) and the then Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile rejected the leadership of President Marcos Sr. Finally, the administration of Marcos Sr. was overthrown Marcos’ family including 28 -year -old Bongbong at the time was forced to leave the Malacanang Palace president’s official residence and flee to Hawaii. However, in 1991 the Marcos family was allowed to return to the Philippines after the death of Marcos Sr. in 1989.
Since then, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., with his mother, Imelda Marcos, has returned to politics and sought to rebuild the political network of the Marcos family. Imelda Marcos was elected a member of the Philippine Congress for four terms. Meanwhile, his son Bongbong was also a member of the Philippine Senator and later the Governor of Ilocos Norte province, an area in the stronghold of the Marcos family. In 2016 Bongbong Marcos Jr. ran in the Vice-Presidential election but failed. However, the failure did not stop Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s plan to be president. While campaigning, Bongbong Marcos Jr. reportedly said to judge his actions not based on his ancestors after dominating the presidential election. The question is, how Bongbong Marcos Jr. has managed to convince the majority of the Filipino population to appoint him as President of the Philippines and return the Marcos family to Malacañang Palace?
First, nearly half of the voters of the 2022 Presidential Election are made up of those between the ages of 18 and 30 who have never lived under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. As such, they did not experience human rights violations and misappropriation of money and power as alleged by the anti-Marcos faction. Young voters only read from history books and the media about the administration of Marcos Sr. In addition, the Marcos family, especially Bongbong Marcos Jr., has sought to restore his father’s name by stating that the alleged administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was the golden age of the Philippines and the implementation of martial law had brought peace.
Second is the frustration of most Filipinos over the administration of post-Ferdinand Marcos Sr. presidents. The dreams and aspirations of the Filipino people that the administration after Ferdinand Marcos Sr. would bring reforms and changes were not achieved. Even income gaps and poverty rates remain. Moreover, the administration of presidents after Ferdinand Marcos Sr., such as Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III, has been tainted with allegations of money laundering and abuse of power. As a result, many voters no longer believe in the reforms hoped for during the 1986 EDSA Revolution and want the Marcos family back in power.
Third, the popularity of Bongbong Marcus Jr. increased due to his pairing with Sara Duterte as the Vice-Presidential candidate. Sara is the daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the former mayor of Davao. President Rodrigo Duterte is still very popular among the Filipino population despite the Western media often criticising his anti-drug policies, which are deemed to violate human rights. Some want their daughter Sara to be the president of the Philippines one day. Thus, the collaboration between Sara Duterte and Bongbong Marcus Jr. was a highly effective alliance.
Fourth, the leaders who once fought to overthrow the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1986 had either died or were too ill to prevent the resurrection of the Marcos family. For example, the icons of the EDSA Revolution, President Corazon Aquino and Cardinal Jaime Sin, the former Archbishop of Manila, passed away. Meanwhile, figures such as Presidents Fidel Ramos and Enrile are now in their 90s and retired from politics.
The next question is how the Philippine foreign policy relates to Malaysia under the administration of Bongbong Marcus Jr? Until now, many still do not know the direction of foreign policy that Bongbong Marcus Jr. will be led. This is because he refused to participate in pre-election political debates and did not clearly state the direction of Philippine foreign policy should he be elected president. However, Bongbong Marcus Jr. is expected to pursue a foreign policy similar to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines, under the administration of Bongbong Marcus Jr., will defend its claim to the South China Sea area while having close trade relations with China.
In addition, the Philippines will continue defence cooperation with the United States (US). The Philippine-Malaysian relations are also not expected to undergo drastic changes. The Philippines will not drop its claim on Sabah even though the Philippines is aware that Malaysia’s sovereignty over Sabah has been accepted by the international community and is difficult to dispute.
[Photo credit: AFP]
