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Marcos leads Philippine presidency race, backed by young and mid-aged
Public records show the Marcos administration from 1965 to 1986 embezzled as much as $10 billion and committed thousands of rights abuses including torture and killings.
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Bongbong Marcos (left), former senator and son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, greets supporters during a vigil in front of the Supreme Court in Manila on July 10, 2017. Marcos, who ran for vice-president in 2016 elections, filed an electoral protest at the Supreme Court against incumbent Vice-President Leni Robredo. (AFP/Ted Aljibe)
F
erdinand Marcos Jr. is leading in the May 9 Philippine presidential election campaign, supported by voters under the mid-50s who were not mature enough to understand the 1986 pro-democracy "people power" revolution that overthrew his father's authoritarian regime.
Public records show the Marcos administration from 1965 to 1986 embezzled as much as $10 billion and committed thousands of rights abuses including torture and killings.
But experts say propagandists of Marcos Jr. are using social media to sanitize history, leading to the present generation's "renewed appreciation" of the senior Marcos and support for his son in alliance with Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte who is limited to a single six-year term under the Constitution.
Victims of the Marcos administration's atrocities during its martial law era are unhappy about the popularity of Marcos' son and namesake, as well as the lower support for opposition candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights lawyer and a vocal critic of Duterte who led war on drugs in which thousands of innocent people were reportedly killed.
The victims voice concerns that Marcos Jr., 64, may follow in his father's footsteps and stifle dissent if elected as the successor to Duterte, a Marcos fan.
Filipinos aged 18 to 41 make up 56 percent of the 65.7 million voters, the "prime movers" of this election, the Commission on Elections said. In the latest Pulse Asia survey in January, Marcos Jr. had the highest lead over Robredo at 53 points among 18- to 24-year-olds including first-time voters.
The same poll showed that Marcos Jr. beat Robredo by 45 points in the 35-to-44 age range and by 47 points in the 45-to-54 group.
