Thế Giới

The Marcos family is about to rule again in the Philippines

Bongbong Marcos’ victory will bring the clan Marcos returned to the Malacanang Palace, where his father had been the owner for two decades until he was overthrown.

Six years after losing to Leni Robredo in the vice presidential race, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (also known as Bongbong Marcos) has now turned the tables, preparing to sit in an even more powerful position: president Philippines.

The Marcos family is about to return to power in the Philippines - photo 1

Mr. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Mrs. Sara Duterte in an election campaign

Inquirer

This means Mr. Marcos will become President Rodrigo Duterte’s successor at the Malacanang Palace, although the official results could be several days away.

Bongbong Marcos’ father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, ran the Philippines hard from 1965 to 1986, including nearly 10 years of martial law. After being overthrown, dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos moved with his family to Hawaii and died here in 1989.

As the only son of the late President Marcos, Bongbong Marcos was active in politics from an early age. He became deputy governor of the province of Ilocos Norte in 1980 at the age of 23, then took the seat of governor of this province. After a period of exile, he returned to the Philippines in 1991, and continued his influential political career.

He was re-elected governor in 1998 and later as a member of the province of Ilocos Norte, a stronghold of the Marcos family. In 2010, he entered the national political scene after being elected a senator. In 2016, he ran for vice president and lost to Leni Robredo.

Mr. Marcos “son” has spent years easing controversies over his father’s legacy. To this day, the Philippine government is still trying to recover the $10 billion worth of assets it accuses the Marcos of having appropriated from the people.

With the results on May 9, Bongbong Marcos is now given the opportunity to help the Philippines “rise again”, as his own campaign slogan. Among the notable issues, Mr. Marcos’ policy towards the US and China will be closely monitored. According to observers, Mr. Marcos is expected to find a balance between the two powers. Speaking in March, Mr. Marcos said the Philippines had a “special relationship” with the US, asserting that “military agreements are beneficial to both countries”. However, it is highly likely that he will also maintain close trade ties with China to revive the economy.

Regarding the East Sea issue, it is not clear whether he wants to take advantage of the 2016 international arbitration award. But in a recent statement, he pledged to deploy warships to contested areas to “show China that we are protecting what we consider to be territorial waters.”

Meanwhile, in the vice presidential race, Sara Duterte – daughter of current President Rodrigo Duterte and just stepped down as mayor of Davao City in March – is said to have won. The Philippine vice president’s powers are limited, but Ms Duterte is expected to have a great deal of influence in this role if elected, according to experts.

You are reading the article The Marcos family is about to rule again in the Philippines

at Blogtuan.info – Source: thanhnien.vn – Read the original article here

Back to top button