Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr., the son of the infamous dictator of the Philippines, is heading for an overwhelming victory in the presidential elections held today in the country, as he has so far secured twice the votes of his main rival.
The unofficial count of the electoral commission shows that 64-year-old Marcos is very close to the 27.5 million votes needed to secure a majority and return the family to power, 36 years after his father was overthrown in the 1986 popular revolution.
“I hope you will not get bored of trusting us,” he told supporters in a Facebook comment that played a central role in his campaign strategy. “We have a lot to do,” he said, adding that “in a project as big as this, not just one person is involved.”
Marcos Jr. has 26.3 million votes, more than double Leni Robredro’s 12.5 million, with 81.8% of the vote counted, according to the official election commission (COMELEC).
The Marcos family returned from exile in the 1990s and has since emerged as a strong force on the political scene, maintaining its influence with its wealth and connections. Marcos Jr. served as governor, MP and senator. His sister, Imee, is a senator, while his mother, Imelda, the dictator’s widow, has been elected to the House of Representatives four times.
Marcos did not present any real political platform and his campaign focused only on the simple but ambiguous message of unity. His presidency is expected to be a continuation of that of the outgoing Rodrigo Duterte, whose tough approach proved popular and helped him quickly consolidate his power. Marcos’ vice-president will also be Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who has already won the vice-presidency, by a huge margin from her rivals, according to the unofficial count.
Marcos was criticized for not participating in presidential debates and making few media appearances. He controlled his campaign through a network of opinion makers and bloggers to whom he gave free access to the events he organized. The results demonstrate the huge success of an advanced social media campaign by Marcos who, for his critics, sought to dispel the historical narratives of nepotism, looting and cruelty during his father’s authoritarian rule. The Markos family denies that they poured into their own accounts billions of dollars of state wealth during the era of its omnipotence. Many supporters of Marcos Jr., born after the 1986 uprising, are convinced that these narratives are lies invented by his opponents.
As the count continued, many of his supporters had gathered outside his staff holding flags and shouting his name in ecstasy.
“We are very happy for his lead; unity really prevailed,” said Melai Ylagan, 20. “Bong Bong Markos’ wish for us all to unite is coming true,” he added.
Some 65 million Filipinos were eligible to vote in today’s election for Duterte’s successor, as well as many MPs, governors and mayors. COMELEC said the election was “relatively peaceful” and recorded 15 “security incidents”. Among them was the killing of three members of a peacekeeping force near a polling station in the southern Philippines.
The National Bar Association of the People, whose members include people who were persecuted during the martial law period under Father Markos, said the election result was “incomprehensible” and noted his son’s historic revision as he described it. “Events can be more bizarre than fantasy. To be more precise, the result of fantasy can be transformed into fact. We will continue the fight with greater intensity and wait for our redemption from this reborn nightmare,” he told its announcement.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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