MANILA, Philippines – Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the ousted dictator of the same name, praised his father’s legacy and kept silent about his violent past when he was sworn in as president of the Philippines on Thursday after a stunning election victory by opponents. of his image of the family.
His rise to power, 36 years after the army-backed Power of the People revolt ousted his father to global fame, changed the policy of Asian democracy, where the official holiday, monuments and the constitution of the Philippines commemorate the end of tyrannical rule. Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
But in his inaugural speech, Marcos Jr. defended the legacy of his late father, who he said has achieved many things that have not been done since the country’s declaration of independence.
A supporter holds up a portrait of the Philippines’ new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as he is sworn in as the country’s new leader. AFP via Getty Images
“He did, sometimes with the necessary support, sometimes without. It will be the same with his son,” he said to cheers from his supporters in the crowd. “You will get no apologies from me.”
“My father built more and better roads, produced more rice than all the administrations before him,” Marcos Jr. said. He praised the infrastructure projects of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who also ended his six-year term with a legacy of violence, the rule of a strong man and contempt for those who stood in his way.
The new president called for unity, saying that “we will go further together than against each other. He did not touch on the human rights atrocities and robberies his father was accused of, saying he would not talk about the past but the future.
Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. waves during the swearing-in ceremony at the Old Legislative Building in Manila, Philippines on June 30, 2022. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Activists and survivors of his father’s martial law protested Marcos Jr.’s inauguration, which took place at a luncheon ceremony on the steps of the National Museum in Manila. Thousands of police, including riot squads, SWAT commandos and snipers, were deployed in the coastal tourist area for security.
Chinese Vice President Wang Kishan and US Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, were among foreign dignitaries who attended the event, which included a salute with 21 cannons, a military parade and a flight of air force planes.
“Wow, is this really happening?” Asked Bonifacio Ilagan, a 70-year-old activist who was detained and brutally tortured by rebel forces during the reign of the older Marcos. “For martial law victims like me, it’s a nightmare.”
Marching through the streets, protesters displayed placards reading “No more martial law” and “Reject Marcos-Duterte.”
Demonstrators protest during a demonstration against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Plaza Miranda. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Such historical baggage and antagonism haunted Marcos Jr. during his six-year presidency, which began at a time of intense crisis.
The Philippines is among the worst affected countries in Asia since the two-year coronavirus pandemic, with more than 60,000 deaths and prolonged blockages leading the economy to its worst recession since World War II and exacerbating poverty, unemployment and hunger. As the pandemic weakened earlier this year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a surge in global inflation and raised fears of food shortages.
Last week, Marcos Jr. announced he would be interim agriculture minister after taking office to prepare for possible food emergencies.
He also inherits decades of Muslim and communist insurgency, crime, gaping inequality and political divisions fueled by his election.
Congress last month declared his landslide victory, as did that of his vice-presidential candidate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing president, in the race for vice president.
“I ask you all to pray for me, wish me well. I want to do well because when the president does well, the country does well,” he said after his proclamation to Congress.
Marcos Jr. received more than 31 million votes and Sarah Duterte more than 32 million of the more than 55 million votes cast in the May 9 election – massive victories that will provide them with strong political capital as they face enormous challenges. as well as doubts arising from their fathers’ reputations. It was the first majority presidential victory in the Philippines in decades.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines march at the swearing-in ceremony of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Outgoing President Duterte has waged a brutal anti-drug campaign that has left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead on an unprecedented scale in the killings that the International Criminal Court is investigating as a possible crime against humanity. The investigation was suspended in November, but the chief prosecutor of the ICC has requested that it be resumed immediately.
Marcos Jr. and Sarah Duterte have faced calls to help prosecute her father and cooperate with the international court.
Marcos Jr., a former governor, congressman and senator, has refused to acknowledge the massive human rights abuses and corruption that marred his father’s reputation.
During the campaign, he and Sarah Duterte avoided controversial issues and focused on a vague call for national unity.
His father was overthrown by a predominantly peaceful pro-democracy uprising in 1986 and died in 1989 while in exile in Hawaii without admitting any wrongdoing, including allegations that he, his family and relatives had amassed approximately 5 to 10 billion dollars while in power.
A Hawaii court later found him responsible for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion to more than 9,000 Filipinos who sued him for torture, imprisonment, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
Imelda Marcos and her children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 to create a stunning political turnaround, aided by a well-funded social media campaign to update the family name. Imelda, the 92-year-old family matriarch, sat at the opening in a traditional light blue Filipino dress, kissed her son and posed for photos on stage.
Marcos Jr.’s alliance with Sarah Duterte, whose father remains popular despite his human rights record and a powerful name in one of the country’s most prominent political dynasties, helped him take the presidency. Many Filipinos also remained poor and disillusioned with post-Marcos administrations, said Manila-based analyst Richard Heydarian.
“This allowed the Marcoses to present themselves as an alternative,” Heydarian said. “The unregulated social media landscape allowed their disinformation network to rebrand the dark days of martial law as the supposed golden era of the Philippines.”
Prominent along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare are shrines and monuments to democracy erected since the fall of Marcos in 1986. The anniversary of his ouster is celebrated every year as a special national holiday, and a presidential commission that has been in the works for decades, to return ill-gotten wealth to the Marcoses still exists.
Marcos Jr. has not explained how he will deal with such harsh reminders of the past.
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