A significant percentage of Filipinos voted for the Philippine presidential election. The memories of Ferdinand Marcos’ corrupt and brutal reign are not forgotten.

In fact, they don’t even exist — because a majority of the electorate were either not born or were too young to remember that era.

According to the Commission on Elections, more than 50% of Filipinos who are eligible to vote on Monday will be between 18 and 41 years old. as quoted by the local media.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. reigned with iron might for almost two decades, from 1986 when he was killed by a plane. It was an era marked by poverty, unemployment, debt crises, and great hardships. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances and alleged tortureHis rule sparked a massive uprising that became known as the People’s Power Revolution. He was forced to flee Hawaii in the end, and he died there in 1989. 

Today, his son Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., 64,  is the frontrunner to replace Rodrigo Duterte, the outgoing president, and take back the presidency from the Marcos clan. Bongbong (as he is commonly known) was just 15 years old when his father instituted martial law in the Philippines.

Marcos, the younger one has already spent long years in politics. Since the 1980s, he has been vice governor, governor, and congressman for the Ilocos Norte family stronghold. Imelda Marcos, his mother (92), ran twice for President and lost the elections in 1990. 

Her infamous 3,000-pair shoe collection — discovered when protesters stormed the presidential palace in the 1986 uprising — is now housed in a Manila museum. Today, however, the Marcos excesses seem to be forgotten by the public because of disillusionment with the successive democratic governments.

Journalists rarely meet social media stars

Marcos is today surrounded by romanticism. Its roots are in the past when the Philippines played a significant role in global affairs. Bongbong’s slogan, “Together We Shall Rise Again,” is a powerful message about rekindling former greatness.

He had a campaign similar to his father’s, promising the Philippines would be “great again.” The younger Marcos, unlike his father’s campaign, has maintained a low profile within the mainstream media and instead runs a complex social media campaign that boasts millions of followers.

On Chinese media app TikTok he is very popular. He posts reviews and shares a story about his family, which used to have a Kennedy-like aura.

Although he frequently invokes the family name during campaign rallies, it is not a common practice to expose himself to the political debate.

Marcos Jr., one of the 10 candidates was absent from the two televised debates hosted by the Commission on Elections. He also rejected an opportunity to debate his vice-presidential rival Leni Robertredo late in April. He also refused to attend a debate hosted by CNNThe Philippines

Although he has refused to do interviews with media, he does not answer any questions from reporters at rallies. He has developed this strategy after a narrow defeat to Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential race. His father’s brutal and corrupt legacy was front and center of opposition campaign at that point. 

Duterte has been an allies. His contributions have helped to reimagine Marcos’ legacy.

2016 saw the burial of Marcos Sr. at the Philippine equivalent of Arlington National Cemetery. 

While the Philippines used to be a strong military ally for the U.S. in wartime, Duterte declared that he would move closer to China following his election as president. country’s “separation” from the U.S.

Marcos Jr. spoke at a March virtual forum and said that the Philippines has a “special relationship” with the U.S. 

“Military agreements are beneficial to both countries,” said he, noting that the U.S. could “many other things” for the Philippines. It remains to be determined if Marcos, the younger of the two, will upset Beijing by drawing closer towards the U.S.

He hasn’t said much about the economy. He instead used vague terms such as “national unity”, and suggested that his policies would support Duterte’s infrastructure-based policies. “Build, Build, Build”Public works plan.