The Marcos family returned to power in the Philippines on Thursday (30), 36 years after a popular uprising overthrew the patriarch, dictator Ferdinand Marcos. His son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 64, was elected president of the country last month in a landslide victory and took office on Thursday, with praise for his father in an attempt to restore the family legacy, ousted from power in 1986.
“We are here to fix a divided house, to make it whole and to get strong again,” the new president, known by the nickname “Bongbong”, said in a lively 30-minute inaugural address that was attended by Sister Imee. , senator, and mother Imelda, a former congresswoman and controversial figure during the dictatorial years.
The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines for two decades, starting in 1965, almost half of that period under the famous martial law of 1972, a kind of Philippine AI-5, which, under the pretext of avoiding a communist uprising, arrested opponents, committed human rights abuses against 11,000 people and was responsible for the deaths of 2,326 people, in addition to 1,922 documented cases of torture, according to a government body created to investigate the crimes of the period.
Under the dictator, the family name became synonymous with patronage, extravagance and theft of billions of dollars of public money. The Marcos family denies embezzlement.
“I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to talk about our future,” said Marcos Jr. in front of thousands of supporters waving flags and wearing red, a color associated with the father. “Without looking back with anger or nostalgia.”
Despite the promise, the new president defended the dictator’s legacy and said he will try to repeat his achievements. “I once knew a man who saw how little had been achieved since independence… [fazer o paÃs se desenvolver]. Sometimes with the necessary support, sometimes without. And so it will be with your son. You will not hear excuses from me,” she said.
Mark Jr. he was sworn in at the heavily guarded National Museum, the former seat of Parliament and the scene of several demonstrations against his father’s regime. He promised to create jobs and reduce inflation in the country of 110 million people, nearly a quarter of whom live on less than $2 a day. “I’m up to the task,” he said. “I’ll do it.”
He succeeds Rodrigo Duterte in the presidency, the most popular president in recent Philippine history, but questioned internationally due to the violent drug war policy. Before the inauguration ceremony, Duterte received Marcos Jr, at the presidential palace in Malacañán, the residence that the dictator’s family had to hastily abandon before fleeing into exile.
Once rivals, the two families allied for the elections, in which the dictator’s son campaigned alongside the now ex-president’s daughter, Sara Duterte, elected vice president.
Analysts say the new president must abandon the controversial anti-drug policy. “The Philippines’ political elite is poised to turn the page on drug war violence,” said Greg Wyatt of PSA Philippines Consultancy. “The war on drugs has already attracted enough negative attention.”
On the international stage, the new president intends to defend the rights of the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, whose control is claimed by Beijing. Unlike Duterte, who distanced himself from the United States and approached China, Marcos Jr. declared that he wants to have a balanced relationship with the two powers, which are vying for influence in the Pacific. Last month he defined his international policy with the phrase “friend of all, enemy of none”.
Thursday’s inauguration was attended by Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the vicinity of the event, hundreds of people protested against the new president. Carrying banners saying “Rejete Marcos”, they gathered in Miranda square, where some of their father’s opponents were killed and wounded in an attack. Victims of persecution under martial law vowed to protect themselves against what they called tyranny and lies. “Survivors are a dying breed, and the time to correct falsehoods and reveal the truth is now,” said Cristina Bawagan.
Mark Jr. was elected with a campaign heavily based on social media and in an effort to change the image of the dictatorial period, arguing that it was a “golden period” for the country, under the slogan “together we will resurrect”.
Many expect “Bongbong” to be less violent and more predictable than Duterte, but activists and the church fear he will use his landslide victory to bolster his power. “Marcos Jr’s refusal to acknowledge past abuses and mistakes, praising the dictatorship as ‘golden years’, makes it very likely that he will continue the dark legacy in his tenure,” warned the leftist alliance Bayan.
