Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been proclaimed the president-elect of the Philippines, undoing the legacy of a democratic revolt that ousted his dictator father from office in 1986.
On Wednesday, Marcos Jr. was declared the Presidential Poll Winner by Congress after he received over 31 million votes.
With 32 million votes, his running mate Sara Duterte Carpio (daughter of Rodrigo Duterte) was elected vice president-elect. With 110 million people in Southeast Asia, the incoming government unites two of the most prominent political dynasties.
Continue reading: What the Philippine Elections are all about Entertainment
The Philippine constitution gives the president and vice president a 6-year limit. Duterte Carpio Jr. and Marcos Jr., respectively, will be in office starting June 30.
On May 7, 2022, supporters of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte cheered during a campaign rally in Paranaque (Metro Manila), Philippines.
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
Marcos Jr.’s father, the late Ferdinand Marcos, ruled the Philippines for 21 years starting in 1965. Following the 1972 declaration of nationwide military rule, Marcos Jr. abolished all term limitations. From then until 1981, more than 3,000 of his political opponents were killed while some 70,000 were arrested—many of them journalists, church leaders, and students.
He and his wife Imelda also siphoned an estimated $10 billion from the national treasury during his two-decade rule.His family’s return to power has been fueled in part by disinformation on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook, but also by the failure of succeeding leaders to solve long standing issues, like poverty, that the 1986 uprising had promised to fix.
Continue reading: Marcos Jr., the Catholic Church and Unfinished Business
Duterte is expected to pass on the legacy of the drug war and an economic crisis caused by COVID-19, as well as the geopolitical problems posed by U.S.-China tensions in the Asia-Pacific.
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