Marcos, the son and namesake of the ousted dictator who ruled the Philippines for two decades, has a wide lead in polls over incumbent vice president, Robredo, ahead of the ballot on Monday.

The 64-year-old frontrunner repeated his message of unity before supporters in central Iloilo province at the first of three big rallies this week before campaigning ends on Saturday, urging them to carry his "Uniteam" to victory.

"We have traveled around the country to rally support behind our unity movement," said Marcos, who appears on the verge of completing a once-unthinkable rebranding of the Marcos name, 36 years after a "people power" uprising toppled his father and drove his family into exile.

Political analysts say Marcos has been aided by a decades-long public relations effort to alter the perception of his family, even as critics accuse the Marcoses of attempting to rewrite history. 

"They have [...] the advantage of crafting an appealing narrative, which we know distorts the historical fact and yet has somehow appealed to many voters," said retired political science professor Temario Rivera.

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