Marcos Jr., known as “Bongbong” in the Philippines, won a landslide victory in the May 9 election on the grounds of national unity and promises of more jobs, lower prices and more investment in agriculture and infrastructure.
But critics say his rise to power was the culmination of a decade-long attempt to rebrand the Marcos family’s name and image, most recently through a charged social media campaign.
Marcos Jr., 64, is the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose 21-year kleptocratic rule of the country from 1965 to 1986 was marked by human rights abuses, widespread corruption and looting of the state coffers.
The former senator and congressman took his oath of office at the National Museum of Fine Arts in the capital, Manila, before Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.
In his inaugural address, Marcos Jr. said his “call for unity” had reached the people to “fulfill the largest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy.”
“This is a historic moment for all of us,” he said. “You have chosen me as your servant to enable changes that benefit all. I fully understand the weight of the responsibility you place on my shoulders. I don’t take them lightly, but I’m up for the task.”
Marcos Jr. thanked his mother, 92-year-old former First Lady Imelda Marcos, who attended the ceremony. He also referred to his father, the late dictator, in his speech.
“I once knew a man who saw how little had been accomplished since independence. In a country with people with the greatest potential, and yet they were poor. But he made it. Sometimes with the necessary support, sometimes without. That’s how it will be with his son — you won’t get any excuses from me,” he said.
Marcos Jr. spoke of healing divisions in the country, promising to let the economy grow, recover from the pandemic and lead a more unified, prosperous country.
“I’m not here to talk about the past, I’m here to tell you about our future. A future of sufficiency, even abundance, of readily available ways and means to do what needs to be done,” he said. “I will do it.”
Activist groups planned to protest the Manila inauguration and demanded accountability for alleged crimes committed under Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship, CNN Philippines reported.
On Tuesday, Marcos Jr. survived a last-ditch attempt to disqualify him when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against two petitions to withdraw his candidacy over alleged tax violations, according to CNN Philippines.
Marcos won the election by 31.6 million votes, or 58.77% of the votes cast — a margin not seen in decades — replacing outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
His vice president, Sara Duterte-Carpio, the former president’s daughter, was sworn in as vice presidents on June 19, and they will remain in office until 2028.
family heritage
Marcos Jr. previously asked the world to judge him by his actions, not his family’s past. But his campaign was dominated by his father’s legacy, including the slogan “Rise Again,” which tapped into the nostalgia of some who saw the Marcos Sr. period as a golden era for the country. His father’s corrupt and brutal rule over the Philippines was strengthened by almost a decade of martial law from 1972 to 1981. During that time, tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured or killed for alleged or actual criticism of the government, according to human rights groups.
The Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG), tasked with recovering the family’s ill-gotten gains, estimates that about $10 billion was stolen from the Filipino people.
The Marcos family has repeatedly denied abuses under martial law and the use of government funds for their personal use. Activists say the Marcoses have never been fully held accountable and martial law victims are still fighting for justice.
Critics of Marcos Jr. see his ascension to president as a whitewashing of Philippine history and an attempt by the Marcos family to rewrite the abuses and corruption perpetrated during his father’s dictatorship.
Outgoing Duterte
The inauguration of Marcos Jr. marks the end of a six-year tenure for Duterte, whose bloody legacy is tied to a nationwide drug crackdown that has claimed more than 6,000 lives, according to police and the media — charges of tax evasion against local, independent media, who questioned government policies and claims, and arrests of editors. On Tuesday, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa said the government had ordered her news organization Rappler to shut down. The outspoken Duterte was also known for a number of derogatory remarks, including misogynistic comments about women, the Catholic Church and world leaders.
Some fear that Marcos Jr. will continue Duterte’s path and that disinformation will further obscure the truth and make those in power more difficult to hold accountable.
Despite his human rights record and the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbating the country’s hunger crisis, Duterte remained hugely popular domestically.
Supporters expect Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio to continue Duterte’s infrastructure policies and his controversial “war on drugs.”
Mayumi Maruyama and CNN’s Alice Barnard contributed.