Shock Protest at the Philippine Presidency: The Marcos Family Tries a Come‑Back
On a bustling Wednesday in Manila, a squad of human‑rights activists marched across the city, tossing water bottles and burning images of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Their mission? To stop the current son of the bygone tyrant from swapping the head of the Philippine government for a fresh dose of filigree power‑painter.
Why the People’re Angy About “Bongbong” Marcos
- Bongbong’s candidacy stoked controversy when he dropped his name into the 2022 presidential pot, a move that slammed the rail of an already polarized political track.
- Critics say the Marcos clan still sidestep prison walls, fail to repay the 10 billion‑dollar “plunder” haul estimated in 1987, and are simply trying to reign supreme again. “It’s shameless gall and pure insanity,” explained Karapatan‘s Cristina Palabay.
- Marcos, flamboyantly known as “BBM”, promised to unite the filibuster of a pandemic and a ripple of economic woes. He bids to become a “unifying” force, an expression that reads like an aspirational trophy on a wall of unbroken integrity.
- His chief‑of‑staff, Victor Rodriguez, added, “The family doesn’t forget that each voice counts—so we keep talking long after the shouting stops.”
Flashback to the Flag‑Hanging, Highland‑Civility Coup
Ferdinand Marcos—no small anchor in national history—faced a people’s uprising in 1986 that, like a thunderbolt, toppled his reign. He died three years later, exiled in Hawaii, and the family got a second chance only in the ’90s, when they mounted new political machinery in their home province of Ilocos Norte.
Rights Groups Reflect:“No Going to the Palace, Please!”
Picture a Saturday morning stand‑up show, but the punchlines are heavy: The protesters outside the Commission on Human Rights building, spat out by the indignation of inflicted pain and a story republic. The activists went as high as they could: burning old photos of Marcos senior, and loudly declaring that the family’s swoosh into the presidential palace might as well be an attempt to rewrite the history on a fresh canvas.
“We know that the Marcoses have a long‑term ambition to re‑enter Malacanang (the presidential palace), intending to rewrite the past,” cautiously heard human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares, complete with a look that has the slick of both courage and cruelty.
In 2016, Bongbong ran for VP and lost to Leni Robredo, the lawyer‑turned‑candidate for president next year. Philippine presidents and vice‑presidents are elected separately, which adds a few extra angles to the already expensive political theater.
Neighbors on the Ballot: Votes, Alliances and a Power‑Dilemma
Marcos did not bring a running mate, but in interviews he hinted that his Partido Federal ng Pilipinas would target President Rodrigo Duterte if he was still in the game. Healthy political rivalry crashes against peaceful partnership, when the news of the incumbent ex‑advisor’s (his daughters, to be exact) decision to ride the drone wings was acknowledged.
- Despite late‑stage shifts, polls consistently score Duterte’s daughter — Sara Duterte‑Carpio — as a probable winner, though she has repeatedly forgotten to put the “hope bucket” in the ballot box.
- Some conspiratorial whisperers speculate a ticket pairing between Bongbong and the secretary of the deputy—tying the Marcos clan to the Dutertes. Even the world’s trident‑shaped returners have swayed.
- The Manila tour abuses a ring news: The Marcoses and the Dutertes are often seen conjuring that good old institutional “enemies‑against‑dictator” mental shifts. If in opposition, you are likely to remember the human conscience rung painted for the nation.
