Philippines: Bongbong Marcos, son of late dictator, to run for president

Manila - Marcos Jr is running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr, the only son of the late Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos, on Wednesday made his presidential bid official.

Marcos Jr is running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), a political party founded by allies of the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Rappler reported.

Asked about who his running mate will be, the former lawmaker said they are planning to adopt Duterte but everything changed when the president announced over the weekend that he is retiring from politics after his term ends in June next year.

“As of now, no one has a field for VP under PFP and I’ll be very candid with you the reason why that is, is that the original plan was for us to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte for our VP candidate, but from what happened last Saturday, all plans changed. Now, we will consult, the party and of course all our other colleagues on what to do and what do we do now and so that is where it is,” he said.

The former lawmaker is officially joining boxing legend-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno in the presidential race for the 2022 polls.

Marcos Jr, whose father ruled the Philippines for almost two decades until his 1986 overthrow, offered a "unifying" brand of leadership he said could the heal the country after its Covid-19 crisis.

"Join me in this noblest of causes and we will succeed," he. said in a three-minute speech streamed on social media on Tuesday.

The political career of Marcos, 64, has spanned over three decades - as provincial governor, congressman and senator - since his family's return from exile afterfleeing a 1986 "people power" uprising. Marcos senior died in Hawaii in 1989.

The Marcos family is among the country's most famous dynasties and despite its fall from grace, it has retained far-reaching and powerful political connections.

Marcos Jr's sister is a senator and former governor and their 92-year-old mother Imelda, famous for her vast shoe collection, was a four-term congresswoman.

One relative is the current ambassador to the United States, another is a high-profile lawmaker.

"If we have learned anything in this time of Covid pandemic, it is that each of us, no matter our station, is in need of the help of our fellow Filipinos," Marcos said on Tuesday.

(with inputs from PNA, Reuters, Philippine media)

• Philippines