Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was officially proclaimed the next president of the Philippines by the country’s joint congressional committee on Wednesday.

Marcos Jr. amassed 31,629,783 votes from almost 60% of the electorate in a huge triumph over his rival, Vice President Leni Robredo. The win comes 36 years after his dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos, was ousted in 1986 during a pro-democracy revolt. 

The Senate and House of Representatives also announced that Marcos Jr’s vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, won by a big margin. The duo will lead a country that has fallen to pieces due to poverty, pandemic lockdowns, insurgencies, crime and political unrest.

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Who is Ferdinand Marcos Jr?

Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, popularly known as BBM or Bongbong Marcos, is a Filipino politician and the son of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who was convicted on seven counts of graft in 2018. 

Early life

Marcos Jr. was born on September 13, 1957. After pursuing his kindergarten and elementary education from Manila’s Institucion Teresiana and La Salle Green Hills, respectively, Marcos Jr. was sent to England to study at Worth School in West Sussex. 

Later on, he decided to pursue a degree in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE), but failed two subjects. He then decided to obtain a special diploma in social studies. 

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Political career

At the age of 23, Marcos Jr. was appointed as the vice governor of Ilocos Norte in 1980. Three years later, he became the governor of the province and held office until his family was ousted and exiled in 1986. After his father passed away in 1989, former president Corazon Aquino permitted members of the Marcos family to return to their homeland. 

From 1882 to 1995, Marcos Jr. was elected as Representative of Ilocos Norte’s second congressional district.

Fast forward to 2010, Marcos Jr. served as a senator under the Nacionalista Party till 2016. He then ran for vice president in the 2016 election but was defeated by Leni Robredo.

In 2021, the 64-year-old declared that he will run for president in the next year’s election. 

Since the 2022 election, protests have sparked across the country with demonstrators fearing the uprisal of the “dictator’s son” and the return of “the Marcos dynasty”.