In Philippines election, late dictator's son aims to restore family pride
As frontrunner in the Philippines' presidential race, the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos appears poised to complete a remarkable rebranding of the family name 36 years after a "people power" uprising ended his father's autocratic rule.
With official campaigning beginning on Tuesday, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 64, holds a double-digit lead in the polls, three months ahead of the May 9 elections.
His push for the presidency has been aided by what political analysts say has been a decades-long public relations effort to alter public perception of his family and supporters. Critics accuse the Marcoses of attempting to rewrite history.
"What we are witnessing right now is nothing short of a counter-revolution," said Richard Heydarian, an author and academic who specialises in politics.
"The Marcoses are here to erase the 1986 (people power) revolution, and to restore the glory and fully rehabilitate the image of the Marcos regime."
... The return of a Marcos to Malacanang, the presidential palace, is unthinkable for millions of Filipinos, but over half the country's more than 60 million voters are 40 or under, and did not live through the Marcos regime and its oppression and plunder.
Ferdinand Marcos Sr., with Imelda by his side, was president for nearly two decades, ruling as a dictator before he was ousted in the "people power" uprising in 1986 that has become renowned around the world.
Marcos Sr. and Imelda, known for her vast collection of artwork, jewellery and shoes, were accused of amassing more than $10 billion while he was in office.
During his rule, 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed, according to Amnesty International....
Marcos Jr. has questioned the Amnesty data and rejected long-standing narratives of oppression and failed government in his father's rule. He and his family have shunned questions about past atrocities and instead touted what their supporters claim as a 'golden age'.
The younger Marcos, also known as Bongbong, did not comment for this story. He has in the past spoken highly of his father, calling him his "idol", while expressing admiration for his "style of work", his qualities as a strong leader, and his "love for the Filipino" people, traits he said he has inherited....
