AFP
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NOS News•today, 08:18
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Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos has been installed as President of the Philippines. The son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos won the elections last month.
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Marcos succeeds Rodrigo Duterte, who as president was known for his tough anti-drug policy. He once called on police officers to shoot drug dealers if they resisted arrest. Duterte’s daughter has now been named vice president.
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The new president said in an initial response that he wants to do something about the food shortage in his country, which has been hit hard by corona. Prices have soared recently, putting many Philippines in financial trouble. Marcos immediately appointed himself as Minister of Agriculture to give more attention to the agricultural sector.
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Congratulations to dictator Marcos
Furthermore, 64-year-old Marcos praised his father, Ferdinand Marcos senior, who ruled the country in a dictatorial way in the 60s, 70s and 80s. “I once knew a man who saw how little had been accomplished since independence. He made it happen,” Marcos Jr. said of his father after being sworn in.
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That is a remarkable statement, because tens of thousands of people were killed during his father’s reign. Marcos senior was overthrown in 1986 during a popular uprising and fled to Hawaii. There he died in 1989.
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Marcos is also said to have funneled $10 billion out of the state treasury during his regime. He would have invested that money in jewelry and real estate, among other things. Many lawsuits have been filed over the billions, some of which have been recovered.
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Unexpected comeback
The big win of son Marcos, 36 years later, is seen as an unexpected comeback. Critics in the Philippines say he spent years trying to whitewash his father’s image in order to become president. That seems to have worked.
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On the street, the profit is viewed with mixed feelings. “Wow, is this really happening?” says a 70-year-old activist who was once detained and severely tortured during the rule of the elder Marcos. “For victims like me, this is a nightmare.”
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