MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The eponymous son of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was elected Philippine president by what appears to be a landslide, in a stunning reversal of the 1986 pro-democracy “People Power” revolt that ousted his father.
Marcos Jr. had more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results, with more than 97% of the vote tabulated as of Tuesday afternoon. His closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights advocate, had 14.7 million votes in Monday’s election, and boxer great Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third-highest total at 3.5 million.
His running mate Sara Duterte, daughter of the outgoing leader and mayor of the southern city of Davao, had a sizable lead in the separate vice presidential race.
The alliance of the descendants of two authoritarian leaders pooled the voting rights of their families’ political strongholds in the north and south, but raised concerns among human rights activists.
Dozens of anti-Marcos protesters rallied in front of the Electoral Commission, blaming the agency for the failure of vote counting machines and other problems that prevented people from casting their ballots. Election officials said the impact of the faulty machines was minimal.
A group of activists who suffered under the dictatorship said they were angry at Marcos’ apparent victory and would oppose it.
“A possible victory based on a campaign based on blatant lies, historical distortions and mass deception is tantamount to a fraud to victory,” said the group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, or CARMMA for short. “That is not acceptable.”
Etta Rosales, a former chair of the Human Rights Commission who was arrested and tortured twice under martial law in the 1970s, said Marcos Jr.’s apparent victory moved her to tears but didn’t stop her from pursuing efforts to bring the Marcoses to be held accountable.
“I am just one of many who have been tortured; others were killed, I was raped. We suffered under the Marcos regime in the struggle for justice and freedom, and this is happening,” Rosales said.
Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte avoided touchy issues during their campaign and instead held steadfast to a rallying cry of national unity, even as their fathers’ presidencies opened up some of the most turbulent divisions in the country’s history.
Marcos Jr. did not claim the win but thanked his supporters in a late night “Address to the Nation” video, urging them to remain vigilant until the vote count is complete.
“If we’re lucky, I trust that your help and trust will not diminish because we have a lot of work to do in the coming period,” he said.
Robredo has not conceded defeat but acknowledged Marcos Jr.’s massive lead in the unofficial count. She told her supporters that the fight for reform and democracy will not end with the elections.
“People’s voice is becoming clearer and clearer,” she said. “On behalf of the Philippines, which I know you love so much too, we should hear that voice, because at the end of the day, we only have this one nation to share.”
She urged her supporters to keep standing up: “Push the truth. It took a long time for the building of lies to be erected. We now have the time and opportunity to combat and dismantle that.”
The victor will take office on June 30 for a six-year term as leader of a Southeast Asian nation hit hard by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, and long beset by crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, Muslims and Communists became uprisings and deep political divisions.
The next president is also likely to face calls to prosecute outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for thousands of murders during his crackdown on drugs – deaths already under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Amnesty International has expressed its deep concern that Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte avoid speaking about past and current human rights abuses in the Philippines. “If confirmed, the Marcos Jr. administration will face a host of pressing human rights challenges,” the human rights group said in a statement Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch also called on Marcos Jr. to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines if he takes office.
“He should declare an end to the ‘war on drugs’ that has led to the extrajudicial killings of thousands of Filipinos and order the impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of the officers responsible for these unlawful killings,” said Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy director for Asia.
Marcos Jr., a 64-year-old former provincial governor, congressman and senator, has defended his father’s legacy and has steadfastly refused to acknowledge and apologize for the massive human rights abuses and looting under his father’s rule.
After being overthrown by the largely peaceful 1986 uprising, the elder Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989 without admitting any wrongdoing, including allegations that he, his family and cronies had amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion during his tenure. A Hawaii court later found him liable for human rights abuses and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who had filed lawsuits against him on charges of torture, detention, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
His widow Imelda Marcos and their children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and worked on a stunning political comeback, aided by a well-funded social media campaign to refresh the family name.