Ferdinand Marcos Jr, nicknamed BongBong, is today named the new president of the Philippines. He succeeds Rodrigo Duterte after a big victory in the elections in May. Marcos Jr pledges to unify the country as president and plans to fight unemployment and inflation after the coronavirus pandemic has dealt a major blow to the economy.
BongBong is the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Under his policies, torture, rape, executions and the misappropriation of government funds were commonplace. In the 1980s, a popular uprising led to the overthrow of the dictatorship and the exile of the family to the United States.
His father’s crimes make Marcos Jr. one of the most controversial politicians in the Philippines. Yet exactly 36 years after the end of the dictatorship, his family is allowed to move back into the presidential palace in Malacanang, Manila. Marcos Jr asks the people not to “judge him by the actions his family have committed”.
BongBong has already had an impressive political career. In the 1980s, Marcos Jr. was vice governor, then governor of the province of Ilocos Norte. He has also served on the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the 2016 vice presidential election, Marcos Jr. was narrowly defeated by Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party. She also ran for president in May.
Marcos’ wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos, will strongly influence presidential policy, according to observers. Louise, nicknamed Liza, is described as an intelligent and stubborn woman who manages to get everything she wants. “I don’t think he will make a decision without talking to his wife,” said a Manila lawyer who studied at the same university as Liza. “She will be the first and last person he will listen to.”
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