Ruth Bayan
Northwest Asia Weekly
Part of the May 1 protest, a local protest group in the International District of Chinatown
“Bangbon Marcos winning the presidency gave many of us pause,” said Maria Batajola of the Filipino-American Political Action Group in Washington.
The eponymous son of the late Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to be elected president in a landslide, a surprising reversal of the “people power” democratic movement that ousted his father in 1986.
“No matter how Marcos denied his father’s brutally corrupt dictatorship through martial law, many Filipinos and the world remember it,” Batajola said. In the 1980s, many of us Filipinos and our allies protested against Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship Rule. This does not bode well for our people.”
As of May 10, Marcos received more than 30.8 million votes in unofficial results, with more than 97 percent of the votes listed in the table. His most recent challenger, human rights defender Vice President Leni Robredo, received 14.7 million votes. Manny Pacquiao came in third with 3.5 million votes.
Rick Polintan, a member of the Democratic League of the Philippines, said the news was depressing.
“Marcos ransacked the Philippine coffers and threw the economy into chaos. He led the military rule by jailing political opponents and assassinating thousands, including two Seattle union activists – Gene Vernes and Sylm Domingo.”
“As Sylme Domingo’s sister…the result of the Philippine election was a most distressing event for my extended family,” said social advocate Cindy Domingo. The election of Kos and Sarah Duterte … is a major setback for the country’s democracy and economic development.”
In this image from a video posted on the Bongbong Marcos Facebook page, presidential candidate and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. makes a statement to the media, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Manila, Philippines. The eponymous son of the late Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos appears to have been elected president of the Philippines in a landslide, a surprising reversal of the 1986 “people power” pro-democracy uprising that killed his father Notorious worldwide. (via The Associated Press’ Bongbong Marcos Facebook page)
“Hopefully Bombong Marcos will learn from his father’s policies and actions that brought him down,” said Tony Ogilvy, former president of the Pacific Northwest Philippine Chamber of Commerce. “Maybe he will promote democracy and continued economic development so that more Filipinos can get good-paying jobs and escape the pervasive poverty that many Filipinos are still experiencing. We will see.”
Marcos Jr.’s running mate, Sarah Duterte, daughter of the outgoing president and mayor of Davao del Sur, has a huge lead in another vice presidential race.
The coalition of descendants of the two dictatorial leaders combines voting rights in their families’ political strongholds in the North and South, but has heightened concerns among human rights activists.
Dozens of anti-Marcos protesters rallied at the Election Commission, blaming the agency’s malfunctioning counting machines and other problems preventing people from voting.Election officials say the impact of the malfunctioning machine is
minimum.
A group of activists who have suffered under the dictatorship said they were outraged by Marcos’ apparent victory and would oppose it.
“The possibility of victory for a movement based on blatant lies, historical distortions and massive deception is tantamount to cheating your way to victory,” said the campaign against the return of Marcoses and Martial Law. “This is unacceptable.”
“There seems to be political amnesia, forgetting that [Ferdinand Marcos’] Oppression, anti-democratic rule. The Filipino people deserve better results and lead the country forward in this election, not backwards. I just hope that the forces of democracy and decency will not hold the country back, but will rise up and reorganize. “
Ador Pereda Yano, president of the Filipino American Political Action Group in Washington, grew up in Manila and left with her family due to the oppression of Marcos’ martial law.
“I feel sorry for the many Filipinos who want the government to care about improving the lives of many Filipinos who have suffered chronic poverty, limited opportunities, human rights abuses and widespread corruption.”
Speaking of Marcos’ apparent victory, local Filipino civil rights activist Frank Irigan said: “I’m frankly disappointed, but let’s pray that history doesn’t repeat itself. It’s not a father-son situation, it’s the opposite. !”
The 64-year-old former premier, MP and Senator Marcos Jr. has defended his father’s legacy, staunchly denying it and apologizing for the massive human rights abuses and looting under his father’s strongman rule.
After a largely peaceful uprising in 1986, the elder Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989 without admitting any wrongdoing, including accusations that he, his family and cronies amassed some $5 billion during his time in power to $10 billion. A Hawaii court later found him responsible for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to more than 9,000 Filipinos who sued him for torture, imprisonment, extrajudicial executions and disappearances.
Robredo did not concede defeat, but acknowledged Marcos’ lead in the unofficial tally. She told her supporters that the fight for reform and democracy will not end with the election.
“The voice of the people is getting clearer,” she said. “In the name of the Philippines, I know you love the Philippines too, and we should hear that because at the end of the day, we only have one country to share.”
Domingo said Robredo’s courage and love for his country sparked a massive democratic movement.
“I will not be silent either, and I will continue to stand in solidarity with the Filipino people in the fight for truth, justice and democracy.”
“The best thing we can do is stay vigilant, speak up, support and pass U.S. House Resolution 3884, which suspends security assistance to the Philippines until the Philippine government has put an end to the military and police force,” Batajola stressed. There have been some reforms.”
“The Philippines is at an important crossroads in history, economy and politics,” Polintan said. “We are witnessing and experiencing the spontaneous emergence of large numbers of people, the pink movement, supporting Robredo… She stands for political reform, addressing the economic plight of the poor and underrepresented.”
He added, “We can expect this pink movement to push for reform and accountability after this election. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have awakened to fight for and look forward to a brighter future.”
Ruth can be reached by Editor @nwasianweekly.com.
