The eternal return of the Marcos dynasty in the Philippines

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Oct 6 (EFE).- A powerful propaganda machine has enabled Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., son of the former Filipino dictator President Marcos, to clear his family’s name that was tainted by his father’s brutal dictatorship.

The 64-year-old and only male heir of late Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for over two decades, announced Tuesday that he would run for president.

Despite the Marcos family being forced into exile after the former president lost power in 1986, the Marcos dynasty, one of the country’s most well known, has retained powerful political connections in the Philippines.

Marcos Jr. served as senator from 2010 to 2016 and six years ago came within a few thousand votes from being elected vice president.

According to a recent survey by Pulse Asia, Marcos Jr., also known as ‘BongBong’, is the second favorite out of the four candidates that have confirmed their run for the presidency next year.

SOCIAL MEDIA PROPAGANDA

According to political experts, BongBong’s success is thanks to the powerful propaganda machine he has put in place that has geared his political career and cleared his father’s name.

“The Marcoses have bombarded and flooded social media with disinformation and false information, which presents the Marcos government as a period of prosperity and peace,” a history professor at the University of the Philippines, Ferdinand C. Llanes told Efe.

Experts claim BongBong has managed to glorify his father’s rule, in which 3,240 people were killed, 70,000 imprisoned and 34,000 tortured, by spreading lies on social media.

Ferdinand Marcos took power in 1965 after winning presidential elections but in 1972, he declared Martial Law and his rule quickly took an authoritarian turn.