The namesake son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to have been elected Philippine president by a landslide in an astonishing reversal of the 1986 “People Power” pro-democracy revolt that booted his father into world infamy.
Marcos Jr. had greater than 30.5 million votes within the unofficial outcomes with greater than 96% of the votes tabulated in a single day after Monday’s election. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a champion of human rights and reforms, had 14.5 million, and boxing nice Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest whole with 3.5 million.
His working mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing chief and mayor of southern Davao metropolis, had a formidable lead within the vice presidential race, which is separate from the presidential race.
The alliance of the scions of two authoritarian leaders mixed the voting energy of their households’ political strongholds within the north and south however compounded worries of human rights activists.
Supporters cheer as they arrive on the headquarters of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. in Mandaluyong, Philippines. (AP)
Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte prevented unstable points throughout their marketing campaign and steadfastly caught as an alternative to a battle cry of nationwide unity, despite the fact that their fathers’ presidencies opened a few of the most turbulent divisions within the nation’s historical past.
Marcos Jr. has not claimed victory however thanked his supporters in a late-night “address to the nation” video, the place he urged them to remain vigilant till the vote rely is accomplished.
“If we’ll be fortunate, I’ll expect that your help will not wane, your trust will not wane because we have a lot of things to do in the times ahead,” he stated.
Robredo has not conceded defeat however acknowledged the large Marcos Jr. lead within the unofficial rely. She informed her supporters the combat for reforms and democracy received’t finish with the elections.
“The voice of the people is getting clearer and clearer,” she stated. “In the name of the Philippines, which I know you also love so dearly, we should hear this voice because in the end, we only have this one nation to share.”
In this photograph supplied by the Office of the Vice President, Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo talks as she provides a post-election assertion from her house in Magarao, Camarines Norte, jap Philippines. (AP)
She requested her supporters to proceed to face up: “Press for the truth. It took long for the structure of lies to be erected. We have the time and opportunity now to fight and dismantle this.”
The election winner will take workplace on June 30 for a single, six-year time period as chief of a Southeast Asian nation hit arduous by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns and long-troubled by crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, Muslim and communist insurgencies and deep political divisions.
The subsequent president will even possible face calls for to prosecute outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for hundreds of killings throughout his anti-drug crackdown — deaths already beneath investigation by the International Criminal Court.
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch referred to as for the obvious election winner Marcos Jr. to enhance the human rights scenario within the Philippines. “He should declare an end to the ‘war on drugs’ that has resulted in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Filipinos, and order the impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of officials responsible for these unlawful killings,” stated Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy director for Asia.
A supporter waves a flag as they arrive on the headquarters of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. in Mandaluyong, Philippines. (AP)
Marcos Jr., a 64-year-old former provincial governor, congressman and senator, held a large lead in pre-election surveys. But Robredo had tapped into shock and outrage over the prospect of a Marcos recapturing the seat of energy and harnessed a community of marketing campaign volunteers to underpin her candidacy.
After his ouster by the largely peaceable 1986 rebellion, the elder Marcos died in 1989 whereas in exile in Hawaii with out admitting any wrongdoing, together with accusations that he, his household and cronies amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion whereas he was in energy. A Hawaii court docket later discovered him responsible for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his property to compensate greater than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit towards him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
His widow, Imelda Marcos, and their youngsters have been allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and labored on a shocking political comeback, helped by a well-funded social media marketing campaign to refurbish the household identify.
Marcos Jr. has defended the legacy of his father and steadfastly refused to acknowledge and apologize for the large human rights violations and plunder beneath his father’s strongman rule.
Officials stated Monday’s election was comparatively peaceable regardless of pockets of violence within the nation’s unstable south that killed not less than 4 individuals within the nation’s unstable south. Thousands of police and army personnel have been deployed to safe election precincts, particularly in rural areas with a historical past of violent political rivalries.
Filipinos stood in lengthy strains to forged their ballots, with the beginning of voting delayed by a couple of hours in a couple of areas on account of malfunctioning vote machines, energy outages, dangerous climate and different issues.
Aside from the presidency, greater than 18,000 authorities posts have been on the poll, together with half of the 24-member Senate, greater than 300 seats within the House of Representatives, in addition to provincial and native workplaces throughout the archipelago.
In the 2016 vice presidential race, Robredo defeated Marcos Jr. by a slender margin of their first political faceoff. He waged a years-long authorized battle towards her victory, alleging fraud, that acquired defeated however he by no means conceded.
