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The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos wrapped up his presidential election campaign Saturday with a raucous rally of hundreds of thousands of supporters, as polls show him heading towards a landslide win.
Victory in Monday’s election would cap a decades-long effort to rehabilitate the Marcos legacy after the patriarch was deposed and the disgraced clan chased into US exile. But the prospect of Ferdinand Marcos Jr moving back into the presidential palace has alarmed rights activists, church leaders and political analysts who fear he could rule “without constraint”.
The Marcoses’ remarkable return from pariahs to the peak of political power has been fuelled by public anger over corruption and poverty that persisted under governments that followed the dictatorship. Hundreds of thousands of red-clad Marcos supporters on Saturday amassed on a dusty wasteland overlooked by a gleaming luxury casino resort — a stark reminder of the country’s vast income gap.
Wielding national flags, they gathered before a stage featuring an enormous screen of the smiling candidate as Filipino reggae, hip-hop and pop played at deafening levels. “We will win as long as you stay awake on Monday so there won’t be another tragedy,” Marcos told the crowd, referring to his claims that he was cheated of victory in the 2016 vice presidential race.
Mary Ann Oladive, a 37-year-old call centre worker, said she hoped Marcos Jr would bring unity to the country. “We hope for greater opportunity and jobs. We trust him, we hope that after the election they will give us a better future in the Philippines,” she said.
‘Without constraint’
Ten candidates are vying to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte in the landmark elections seen by many as a make-or-break moment for Philippine democracy. Polls indicate Marcos Jr will win more than half the…
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Source : france24
