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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will ship his first State of the Nation deal with Monday with momentum from his landslide election victory, however he is hamstrung by historical past as an ousted dictator’s son and daunting financial headwinds.
Greater than 20,000 policemen, anti-riot contingents and troops have been deployed in Metropolitan Manila, the place a gun ban has been imposed, to safe the late-afternoon ceremony earlier than a joint session of Congress on the Home of Representatives.
About 5,000 flag-waving protesters have been allowed to march till midday alongside a key street away from Congress. They issued a spread of calls for, from authorities assist and gas subsidy amid hovering price of residing to justice for human rights victims underneath Marcos Jr.’s father, a late dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy “Folks Energy” rebellion.
They requested Marcos Jr. to stipulate a transparent roadmap out of the financial hardships wrought by two years of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and the worldwide fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Marcos Jr. should understand that he’s not in the course of an electoral marketing campaign anymore, the place he may get away with refusing to attend debates and lean on empty soundbites and shallow slogans,” the left-wing Akbayan group mentioned. “The folks demand readability of imaginative and prescient and purposiveness of motion.”
Govt Secretary Vic Rodriguez mentioned final week that Marcos Jr. would unveil his technique for financial restoration amid persevering with coronavirus threats and coping with rising inflation.
The president would lay down plans to brace the nation for a looming meals disaster — which prompted him to resolve to briefly function agriculture secretary — and the secure resumption of in-person college lessons beginning subsequent month, Rodriguez mentioned.
Marcos Jr. acquired greater than 31 million votes of the greater than 55 million votes solid within the Could 9 election — a surprising political comeback and an enormous victory that may present him political capital as he faces large challenges in addition to doubts arising from his father’s status. It was the primary majority presidential victory within the Philippines in a long time.
His allies additionally strongly dominated each chambers of Congress within the elections, together with his cousin, Rep. Martin Romualdez, being elected Home speaker and one other shut ally, Juan Miguel Zubiri, as Senate president on Monday.
With the large home points that he faces coupled with the historic baggage that’s hounding him, Marcos Jr. is likely one of the most challenged leaders within the nation’s current historical past. His large electoral mandate might be eroded if folks do not feel any important reduction from their hardships underneath his rule, College of the Philippines professor Jean Franco mentioned.
“I am not so certain how lengthy the remainder of the 31 million will latch on to Marcos Jr., particularly if the financial disaster continues,” Franco mentioned, including the brand new president didn’t have the powerful and populist picture that saved the rankings of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, excessive.
Marcos Jr.’s father was toppled by a largely peaceable “Folks Energy” revolt in 1986 and died in 1989 whereas in exile in Hawaii with out admitting any wrongdoing, together with accusations that he, his household and associates amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion whereas in workplace.
A Hawaii court docket later discovered the elder Marcos responsible for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion to greater than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit in opposition to him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
However Marcos Jr., a former governor, congressman and senator, has refused to acknowledge the huge human rights abuses and corruption that marked his father’s strongman rule.
The Philippines has been among the many international locations worst-hit in Asia by the two-year pandemic after greater than 60,000 deaths and prolonged lockdowns despatched the economic system to its worst recession in 2020 since World Conflict II and worsened poverty, unemployment, starvation and the nation’s indebtedness.
Because the pandemic was easing early this yr, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine despatched world inflation hovering and sparked fears of meals and oil shortages.
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Related Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
Comply with AP’s Asia protection at https://apnews.com/hub/asia
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