[News] Bongbong Marcos: The man attempting to revive a corrupt political dynasty

[Mr.Talha]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61212659

 

 

His father was a ruthless dictator. His mother gained international notoriety for her massive collection of shoes.

So how is 64-year-old Ferdinand Marcos Jr, more commonly known by his nickname Bongbong, the frontrunner to be the next president of the Philippines when the country votes on 9 May?

The answer lies in an intriguing web made up of dynastic politics, loyalties going back generations and social media mani[CENSORED]tion.

A golden crown and a white stallion
In the Marcos stronghold of llocos Norte sits an impressive colonial Spanish-era style building - the Malacañang of the North.

The original Malacañang palace - the official home to the Philippines' president, sits hundreds of miles away in the capital Manila - but this particular building was gifted to the family by the Philippine Tourism Authority when Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country in the 1960s.

Now open to the public, it is a shrine to his family. Supporters take selfies next to regal portraits of Ferdinand and his wife Imelda Marcos and explore the rooms they once lived in.

Inside Bongbong's childhood room, hanging next to an ornate four-poster bed, is an extraordinary portrait of the would-be-leader.

Bongbong, wearing a golden crown, rides on a white stallion through the clouds. In one hand he carries the Philippine flag, in the other a bible. A psalm reference in the corner of the painting helps decode the imagery - Apo 21:1 a revelation that describes an angel flying over the holy, walled city of Jerusalem.

 

 

Deposed in a people's power revolution in 1986, the Marcos family became globally synonymous with corruption.

Independent reporting and court documents offer irrefutable proof of the massive excesses and human rights abuses during their rule.

When revolutionaries stormed the Presidential palace, they found fantastical oil portraits of the family, a jacuzzi with gold-plated fixtures, 15 mink coats, 508 couture gowns, and most memorably - more than 3,000 pairs of Mrs Marcos' designer shoes.

But now, Bongbong is the frontrunner to be the country's next president - and as his campaign gathers steam, his supporters have been casting doubt on these facts.

The controversial candidates for Philippines president
His opponents say this is because social media has been used to sow disinformation and whitewash history, an allegation the Marcos family deny.

But for years, Facebook has been awash with propaganda posts and anonymous accounts defending the Marcos family legacy.

This mani[CENSORED]tion of the past has been so widespread that people parrot misinformation with absolute conviction.

The common theme is that Marcos's tyrannical rule was actually a "golden period" for the country - despite the inconvenient truth that the economy was on the brink, heavily in debt to foreign banks.

Loyalty and legacy
Jesus Bautista, 71, from the capital Manila is a staunch Bongbong supporter.

Mr Bautista used to scavenge at a mountain of rubbish called "Smokey Mountain" - after the time combustible materials in the waste would catch fire, and billow smoke.

In 1983 he was offered a full-time job and pension with the city's traffic enforcers.