Today, the shadow of Ferdinand Marcos the dictator returns to the Philippines in a greater number than ever before. After being elected victorious in the last elections, where he was supported by thirty million voters, the 64-year-old son and daughter of the dictator assumed the presidency. This official act contains multiple paradoxes. Marcos Jr. is elected head of the Government at the same time his father instituted martial law under a corrupt, violent dictatorship that saw more than 3,000 deaths and thousands of tortured. Arbitrary detentions were also used to punish dissidents. Another paradox is that Rodrigo Duterte, the former president, will be resigned. However, his legacy will continue in the new cabinet due to Sara Duterte Carpio his daughter who will take over the vice presidency. This unique alliance was formed between two enemies. .
This government relay is reminiscent of a television series. Marcos Jr. achieves his goal of having the family surname associated with the highest power position in the Philippines, after his father was defeated in a popular rebellion in 1986. 21 years of dictatorship, whose main memory was embezzlement, came to an abrupt halt. Imelda, the ‘first lady’, collected thousands of shoes and authoritarianism with public funds.
She is known as the “iron butterfly” and has played a decisive role in the return of one of her sons to the presidency. He managed to put aside the waste and excesses of his parents, to convince millions of Filipinos of the era of hard work and prosperity. This is the triumph of social networks. The president has sent messages to himself after avoiding public debates and events and promised that he will have fruitful years with Marcos in the Executive. This victory is not unrelated to the dire situation in the archipelago. According to Oxfam Intermon, more than 3.5million people are in extreme poverty and there are frequent armed clashes between different factions of Islamic insurgency.
In interviews, the new leader also attempted to whitewash his mother’s image. He repeated that he asks for advice because he is a political genius who has “enormous influence” in the family. Imelda, now 92 years old and currently on bail after he was convicted in Manila of seven corruption crimes, is remembered more for her bizarre collection of bags and dresses rather than the economic havoc she caused for the country. Or because of the unfortunate comments she made during her investigation for the murders that were committed under the dictatorship (“When they went into my closets to look for skeletons they only found shoes”), or when she was asked about her influence within that government: “The mass follows class.” After being overthrown by the Corazon aquina Executive in 1986, the couple fled to Hawaii as “friends” and took bags filled with cash and jewelry. Ferdinand and Imelda, who were exiled, are alleged to have defrauded the public of as much as 10 billion dollars and kept a large fortune from Switzerland.
A protest runs through Manila during the Inauguration to Remember the Crimes of the Diktatorship / ep
None of this has made it into the investiture ceremony for little ‘Bongbong,’ as he is affectionately known as Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He was accompanied by hundreds of politicians and public officials, as well as sympathizers. “I knew once a man who was shocked at how little he had accomplished since independence. He did. It will be the same with his son. He assured that he would not make excuses to him in front of a 15,000-strong army and policemen. On the streets, protests were held calling for “justice to political prisoners”, a reference to his paternal legacy, which he seems to prefer to ignore.
Rodrigo Duterte is the man who succeeds him. He doesn’t leave any brilliant legacy. His six-year mandate revolves around the bloodshed in the brutal fight against drug trafficking, which has resulted in between 6,200 and nearly 30,000 deaths, according the Government. Due to the many shadows that have been cast during this war, including the killing of innocents and unpunished actions of paramilitary organizations, he will be under investigation by the International Criminal Court. Duterte, a member of a prominent Philippine political clan, was the mayor of Davao City during his youth. There he gained fame for his habit of going on patrol with police with a pistol in his belt to hunt down criminals.
Sara Duterte is the wife of Ferdinand Marcos and Louise Marcos / efe
Today, the man known as “Dirty Harry” is 77 years old. He has not been able to carry out his populist campaign because he has health problems. He received ten million more votes than his opponent. He leaves to make sure the family name remains the leader of the Philippines, thanks to an alliance that made his daughter vice president. He is also reducing resentment. He ordered the closing of Rappler’s digital newspaper, founded by Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize-winner for her defense and promotion of freedom of expression. This was just hours before the presidential ceremony. Ressa has been subject to harassment and complaints from the Philippine government for her criticisms of Duterte, and other high-ranking officials in the archipelago.
The country’s future is still uncertain. Marcos Jr. is facing the challenge of boosting economy and wants to make the Philippines’ food production one the most important sources of wealth and employment. He has even appointed himself Minister for Agriculture to oversee the reform of this vital sector. He will also need to restore relations with the United States that were strained during the Duterte era and seek to assert Philippine leadership in China Sea. His detractors have doubts and see danger in his personal revisionism. This is not to criticize his father’s government. His family seems to be willing to go to great lengths in order to restore his image. Critics frame the tributes to the father’s legacy and his constant use of social media to misinform about it with irony and institutional looting.
