‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr poised for the presidency as the Philippines goes to the polls

Whereas a grassroots motion has just lately galvanized round her, analysts say Marcos Jr’s push for the presidency is the end result of a decades-old rebranding marketing campaign to revive the Marcos household’s title and picture.

Supporters of the Marcos household say the interval was a time of progress and prosperity, characterised by the constructing of main infrastructure initiatives like hospitals, roads and bridges. Critics say that was an phantasm and people initiatives have been pushed by widespread corruption, international loans and ballooning debt.

The Marcos legacy nonetheless haunts the survivors of martial legislation atrocities. They ask how the nation may very well be so fast to forgive the Marcos years and worry what is going to occur if a Marcos is as soon as once more allowed to rule.

CNN has reached out to Marcos Jr and his marketing campaign for touch upon the allegations into the household’s “ill-gotten wealth,” courtroom instances and on the martial law-era atrocities however has not obtained a response.

The Marcos legacy

The one son of the authoritarian chief, Marcos Jr entered politics early, turning into vice governor of northern Ilocos Norte province in 1980 on the age of 23.

On the time, the Philippines had been dwelling beneath martial legislation for nearly a decade, a time frame when rights teams say tens of hundreds of individuals have been imprisoned, tortured or killed for perceived or actual criticism of the federal government.

Lots of of their names are inscribed in gold lettering on a Wall of Remembrance within the Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Monument of Heroes) in Quezon metropolis, close to the capital Manila. As Bonifacio Ilagan walks alongside the monument, he pauses at his youthful sister’s title.

Rizalina P. Ilagan was kidnapped by a particular intelligence unit of the army within the mid-Seventies, her brother mentioned. “She went lacking along with 9 different activists. And we by no means acquired to see her once more.”

Bonifacio Ilagan was 23 when he mentioned he was detained and tortured in jail for protesting towards the Marcos regime.

“The worst a part of the torture was once they ordered me to tug down my trousers and my underwear and tried to insert a stick by my penis,” mentioned Ilagan, now 70, who’s co-convenor of the group Marketing campaign In opposition to the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Legislation.

“They by no means cared about human rights. They impressed upon us they’d the ability of life and dying over us as a result of it was martial legislation. As a result of they have been backed by a minimum of President Marcos.”

Marcos Jr was 29 when his household have been chased into exile in Hawaii following a Folks Energy Revolution that toppled his father’s regime in 1986. Marcos Sr died in exile three years later, however his household returned in 1991 and have become rich, influential politicians, with successive members of the family representing their dynastic stronghold of Ilocos Norte.

Nearly 40 years after their fall, the Philippines authorities continues to be attempting to claw again billions of {dollars} in stolen funds.

The Philippines’ Presidential Fee on Good Governance (PCGG) tasked with recovering the household and their associates’ ill-gotten wealth estimates about $10 billion was stolen from the Filipino individuals — it has to date recovered about $3 billion and dozens of instances stay lively.

The household has repeatedly denied utilizing state funds for his or her private use — a declare challenged by a number of courtroom instances.

“Once I was younger, we have been battling towards the misgovernance of Ferdinand Marcos Sr,” mentioned Ilagan, now a filmmaker and playwright. “Now I’m nearing the departure period, as they are saying, I discover myself preventing towards Ferdinand Marcos Jr.”

The rebrand

Marcos Jr’s rise to presidential favourite follows a social media marketing campaign to revise historical past, analysts say.

Fatima Gaw, co-covenor of the Philippine Media Monitoring Laboratory, says YouTube is a “breeding floor” for movies that she says deny, distort and even justify the atrocities beneath Marcos Sr.

“They have been utilizing loads of influencers or content material creators on YouTube, to hawk this fabricated narrative concerning the Marcos period being the golden age of the Philippines, that there was peace and order in the course of the time,” mentioned Gaw, who can also be assistant professor of communication analysis on the College of the Philippines Faculty of Mass Communication.

TikTok can also be getting used to attraction to youthful or first-time voters — these too younger to recollect the martial legislation interval. “It is an arsenal of instruments in denialism, distortionism and cherrypicking,” Gaw mentioned.

The Marcos rebrand has additionally been made attainable by the failure of the Philippines authorities and establishments to guard the historical past within the public’s consciousness, Gaw mentioned.

Gaw mentioned the disinformation marketing campaign has “primed the general public now, in 2022, to really feel for Marcos Jr, that he is really the sufferer of a giant cowl up by the media.”

Different analysts say Marcos Jr merely appeals to Filipinos bored with the political bickering and guarantees of progress and financial reform from successive administrations that many really feel have failed to profit bizarre individuals.

Personalities and dynasties dominate Philippines politics, with energy concentrated within the palms of some elite, influential households. Marcos Jr could also be a part of one of many nation’s most infamous dynasties, however not like Robredo, he has managed to reposition himself as separate from the liberal elites which have lengthy dominated the Philippines’ political panorama.

“The return of the Marcos title is predicted primarily as a result of after 1986 revolution gave a lot expectation to the Philippine individuals — to the purpose of considerable modifications in the way in which politics is practiced and governance is offered to the individuals,” mentioned Philippines-based political analyst Edmund Tayao.

“However after the revolution, there was a return of the identical elites in politics. Anticipated far reaching institutional reforms didn’t occur.”

The recognition of Marcos Jr

Marcos Jr’s reputation seems to span ages, professions and social demographics.

Talking from his house in Manila, Glenn Mark Blasquez, 37, mentioned he’s voting for Marcos Jr on Could 9 as a result of he guarantees the return of bold infrastructure growth for the web, roads, agriculture and delivery.

“We’d like that momentum,” he mentioned. “We’d like somebody who can also be a frontrunner to proceed that form of progress.”

Requested about Marcos Sr’s legacy together with rights violations and graft allegations, Blasquez mentioned he thinks Filipinos “ought to transfer ahead slightly than shifting backward.”

“I believe the one factor Marcos Jr needs is to proceed the legacy of his father to be chief, to be a unified nation,” he mentioned.

Gerald Cruz, a 33-year-old shopkeeper from Rizal province in Luzon, mentioned he is voting for Marcos Jr as a result of he is promised to proceed President Duterte’s ‘Construct, Construct, Construct’ infrastructure initiative and reduce the price of electrical energy.

“Our electrical invoice has greater than doubled. If electrical energy prices maintain rising, every thing will likely be affected,” he mentioned. “He needs to unite the Philippines. That is what I like about him.”

Sociologist Jayeel Cornelio mentioned Marcos Jr’s message of unity is interesting to voters.

“You do not get that from the opposite candidates, that want for nationwide greatness. And clearly, it has to do with the economic system,” mentioned Cornelio, affiliate professor and director of growth research on the Ateneo de Manila college.

However not all voters really feel that manner.

Alyza Natiag, 26, from Antipolo, east of Metro Manila, goes home to accommodate volunteering for the Robredo marketing campaign, distributing pamphlets and talking to residents.

One among many younger supporters, Natiag mentioned Robredo stands for transparency and good governance, and believes she is going to assist the poor, deal with corruption, enhance schooling and restore the belief of the individuals in authorities.

Natiag mentioned she’s “very frightened” what a Marcos presidency would imply for the nation.

“This isn’t simply our battle, however for the Philippines,” she mentioned. “That is the time for the Philippines to actually determine — who turns into president may have a coronary heart for all Filipinos and never simply themselves.”

What would a Marcos presidency imply?

The Marcos regime could have ended within the Eighties, however campaigners say the Marcoses have been by no means held accountable for the size of their misdeeds and worry Marcos Jr may erode efforts to settle previous injustices.

As President, Marcos Jr can be head of the establishments created to research allegations towards his household’s former regime.

“What is going on to occur to the Presidential Fee on Good Governance (PCGG)? What is going on to occur to that if the President himself comes from precisely that very same household? Institutionally, once more, what is going on occur to the Fee on Human Rights?” requested sociologist Cornelio.

“As an alternative of directing themselves towards the Marcoses solely, if I’ve a relative who’s corrupt, then that individual’s title will come out, not solely us, everybody,” he mentioned.

Some inroads have been made by prosecutors however issues stay unsettled.

Marcos Jr has repeatedly dismissed the unsettled tax difficulty and has mentioned he isn’t concerned in ongoing instances into his household’s wealth.

Political analyst Tayao mentioned the nation’s structure and methods of checks and balances are sturdy sufficient to forestall one other Marcos Sr-style dictatorship.

However survivors of martial legislation nonetheless coping with the trauma of the previous say a Marcos Jr presidency will imply the tip of justice for victims; the whitewashing of historical past full.

“Within the remaining evaluation, it is democracy within the Philippines that the Marcoses trampled upon. It is the perversion of values, the tradition of impunity,” mentioned martial legislation survivor Ilagan.

“It isn’t a battle between two households, it is a battle — as we are saying within the literary world — between good and evil.”