Philippines closes presidential campaign with son of dictator Marcos at the head

The son of the deceased dictator Philippine Ferdinand Marcos will close this Saturday before hundreds of thousands of supporters his campaign for the presidential elections on Monday, with the polls predicting a wide victory for him.

If the forecasts are confirmed, Ferdinand Marcos Jr would culminate a decades-long campaign trying to rehabilitate the shadowy dictatorship of his father, deposed by a popular uprising in 1986 and fled into exile in the United States.

But the prospect of a return of the Marcoses to the presidential palace in Manila has alarmed human rights activists, religious leaders and political analysts who fear an “unrestricted” term.

Ten candidates compete to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte, with a legacy also criticized and the subject of an international investigation for his bloody war on drug trafficking.

In addition to Marcos Jr, the candidates include the current vice president and critic of Duterte, Leni Robredo, the well-known actor and mayor of Manila, Francisco Domagoso, or the boxer Manny Pacquiao.

But the polls indicate that Marcos Jr will win more than half of the votes, far behind Leni Robredo, becoming the first candidate since the fall of the dictatorship to win by an absolute majority.

“If he wins that much, this may give him the confidence and the timing to more radically alter the Philippine political system,” analyst Richard Heydarian told AFP, pointing to a possible constitutional change to bolster his power.

Robredo, 57, who defeated Marcos Jr in the vice-presidential battle in 2016, warned his followers that “the future of the country” is at stake.

– “Another six years of hell” –

Hundreds of thousands of supporters are expected in Manila to attend the final rallies of Marcos Jr and Robredo. Unlike other presidential systems with two rounds, in the Philippines whoever gets the most votes wins, even if the difference is minimal.

The dictator’s son has waged a contained campaign, without televised debates and few interviews, and has tried to present his wealthy family as normal people.

He has also launched a strong network disinformation campaign aimed especially at young people who do not remember their father’s corrupt and violent regime in order to rewrite the past of his dynasty.

The popularity of Marcos Jr, nicknamed “Bongbong”, has been boosted by his alliance with Sara Duterte, the president’s daughter and leading vice-presidential candidate, and the backing of several rival dynasties.

Days before the election, human rights defenders and numerous Catholic priests launched a last attempt to prevent Marcos Jr from returning to the Malacañán Palace, where he grew up in the midst of luxury and wealth obtained from the corrupt practices of the family.

“It will be another six years of hell,” warned political humorist and activist Mae Paner, 58, who was part of the popular uprising that brought down the dictatorship.

The family fled to the United States but after the dictator’s death in Hawaii in 1989, he returned to the Philippines where he used his local loyalties to gain positions of power and try to wash away two decades of the regime.

Source: Elcomercio

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