Karen Lema and Tom Allard

MANILA, Reuters – Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was just 28 when a helicopter took him and his family to the Philippines’ Presidential Palace. Millions of protesters called for the removal of their dictator father.

A little over 36 years later, his son celebrates a stunning victory in the 2016 presidential election. It is an amazing comeback for a family who was famous for plundering more than $10 billion and widespread human rights abuses.

An unofficial election commission count showed that Marcos received twice as much vote than his nearest competitor. Although the election was deemed valid, it is not like the one held under the martial law regime of his father. This left many people power activists confused and disillusioned.

Florencio Abad, who was one of the many protestors who marched through Manila in 1986 and became later a member to the cabinet, stated that “We said it in 1986,” How did they get back?

Marcos’ family waged decades-long campaigns to restore its image. These, together with failures of previous governments, and the political genius of aligning itself with Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, have helped to propel their once-unimaginable return back to the presidency.

According to unofficial counts, Sara Duterte Carpio holds an overwhelming lead in the race for the vice-presidential election. This is separate from the official count.

Joshua Kurlantzick (an analyst for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York) said, “I wouldn’t have believed that in 1986 or 1995.”

Kurlantzick stated that the Philippines experienced a series of corrupt, inefficient and dysfunctional governments since the mid 1990s. These led to Duterte being elected as the Philippines’ “a semi-autocrat”.

The idea of strongmen ruling is very much in fashion among young people.

Corazon Aquino was the first to allow the Marcos family to return to the Philippines. His assassination in 1983 triggered the People Power movement, which eventually overthrew the older Marcos.

David Chaikin from the University of Sydney, who was a researcher on the matter, said that allowing the family to return to exile following the death of senior Marcos was an act of extraordinary generosity.

He stated, “This was just the beginning for the Marcos clan to gain power.”

‘NEW GENERATION OF VOTERS’

Imelda Marcos Jr., his father Marcos Jr., and Imelda Marcos Sr. quickly returned to politics. They rebuilt their political networks while fighting numerous cases for the family’s assets. Even with the modest salaries Marcos Sr. earned and Imelda Marcos’s loss of income, their family maintained that they had a legitimate fortune.

Imelda Marcos was elected four times to the congress. His son served 21 years in public offices, both as governor and in congress, while he was still in her household. He was unsuccessful in his 2016 bid for vice-presidential office.

Marcos’ sister Imee is a senator and has played a prominent political role. A social media campaign that downplayed human rights abuses during Marcos’ reign, calling it “a golden age” of infrastructure and economic growth, was also a part of their high-profile political campaigns.

According to economists, the Philippines saw strong growth throughout the 1970s. However, it suffered a severe decline in its fortunes during the 1980s when global interest rates rose and debt increased. World Bank data shows that the economy suffered a decline of nearly 15% over the two-year Marcos regime.

Half of the voters were between 18- and 40 years old, so social media campaigns found an open audience.

Patricio Abinales, who is a Filipino professor of Asian Studies at University of Hawaii Manoa said that “this is also a brand new generation of voters.” “None survived the Marcos or post-Marcos eras.”

According to Pulse Asia, Marcos’ support doubled when Duterte Carpio declared that she would become his running mate.

Abad was a popular protestor who held cabinet posts under President Corazon Aquino. Her son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino also served as President. Abad said the post-1986 government could not undo the wrongs committed by the Marcos regime.

He said that the changes made were insufficient to address the problems of inequality and exclusion, which he attributes to the inequity of the nation’s wealth distribution.

“There’s a reason for disappointment.”

Marcos Jr. is not the only one who has won elections. Other clan members also have won them, according to unofficial counts. Sandro, his son, is expected to become a member of the House of Representatives. Matthew Manotoc, Imee’s brother, will likely be reinstated in Ilocos Norte as governor. Another relative, vice-governor and mayor of Laoag City.