Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also known as bongbong Marcos, has swept the presidential elections in the Philippines, according to the results provisionally scrutinized by the Electoral Transparency Commission (COMELEC). These data have yet to be examined by the Philippine Congress to indicate who will be the person who will replace the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, and be sworn in on June 30.
To understand the son of the deceased dictator Ferdinand Marcos you have to stop at the figure of your mother, Imelda Marcosdefined by exerting a strong influence, firstly, on her husband when he held power and, on this occasion, on her son, whom she wants to become the future president of the country.
With the latest results released with more than 98% scrutinized, Imelda’s dream She is getting closer to seeing her son following in her husband’s footsteps and, thus, achieving what she could not in 1992, when she ran for President and barely got 10% of the votes.
‘Bongbong’ Marcos tried to occupy the Vice Presidency in 2016
Imelda’s son already tried to occupy a position of political relevance in 2016, when he participated in the electoral race to win the vice presidency from the country. That same year he assured that she was not interested in politics and that she did not get up “every morning thinking” about it. But he added that his mother had wanted “let him be president” since he was three years old. However, she lost to the liberal candidate Leni Robredo.
Without charisma and without virtues
In this year’s elections, Imelda’s shadow has been behind the victory of bongbong, who is known as a politician without charisma and without virtues. What gives him an advantage over the rest of the candidates is his last name. This way of being has been transferred to the political field, where his opponents have argued that he has had a “hollow” attitude. In addition, in a campaign marked by the use of false news spread mainly through Facebook.
He was educated with his parents, surrounded by luxury, at a time when the Marcos family was plundering the public treasury between 5,000 and 10,000 million dollarsas pointed out by a Philippine commission created after the overthrow of the Ferdinand regime, which imposed martial law and imprisoned, tortured and murdered thousands of Filipino citizens.
He didn’t get to graduate
Marcos Jr. came to enroll in the Oxford University, where he began to study philosophy, politics and economics. But he didn’t graduate. He then started a master’s degree in Wharton School of Business in the United States and didn’t finish it either. A career that collides with that of his father, who became a prestigious lawyer before coming to power. His mother assured him that he was “lazy and carefree”.
Despite this alleged incompetence, bongbong has held positions of responsibility since returning from exile in the early 90s with his mother and sisters after the dictator’s death two years earlier. He was a deputy in Congress, governor of the province of Ilocos Norte and senator.
Beyond Imelda: his wife and sister
Imelda’s son grew up with his three sisters, of which he stands out Imee Marcos, who is a senator and is recognized by public opinion for having important political relevance. And the other woman with a strong weight in the family is louis aranetahis wife, described by those close to her as more astute and professional than her husband.
Araneta, with whom he has three children, represents one of the few rebellious attitudes of bongbongsince he married her despite being a relative of the former president Aquinas Heartwho is an adversary of the Marcos family, for having a prominent role during the protests that overthrew the regime.
However, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has been a puppet of his family, was convicted of tax evasion in 1995. There are 40 court cases investigating his fortune, but he has always defended his innocence. And his mother was sentenced to 42 years in prison in 2018 for corruption, although she never entered prison.
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