Bongbong Marcos

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr.[2][3] (born September 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who is the President of the Philippines since 2022. He was a senator from 2010 to 2016. He is the second child and only son of the president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr (cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2022
17th President of the Philippines
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Vice PresidentSara Duterte
Preceded byRodrigo Duterte
Secretary of Agriculture
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
PresidentHimself
Preceded byWilliam Dar
Senator of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2016
Member of the
Philippine House of Representatives
from Ilocos Norte's 2nd district
In office
June 30, 2007 – June 30, 2010
Preceded byImee Marcos
Succeeded byImelda Marcos
In office
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1995
Preceded byMariano Nalupta Jr.
Succeeded bySimeon Valdez
Governor of Ilocos Norte
In office
June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2007
Preceded byRodolfo Fariñas
Succeeded byMichael Marcos Keon
In office
March 23, 1983 – February 25, 1986
Preceded byElizabeth Keon
Succeeded byCastor Raval (OIC)
Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte
In office
June 30, 1980 – March 23, 1983
Personal details
Born
Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

(1957-09-13) September 13, 1957 (age 66)
San Juan, Metro Manila Philippines
Political partyPFP (2021–present)
Nacionalista (2009–2021)
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (1980–2009)
Spouse(s)
Louise Araneta (m. 1993)
[1]
Children3, including Sandro Marcos
ParentsFerdinand Marcos Sr.
Imelda Marcos
RelativesMarcos family
ResidenceBatac, Ilocos Norte
Alma materSt Edmund Hall, Oxford (special diploma)
Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania (did not graduate)
Signature
Websitewww.bongbongmarcos.com

Marcos was also a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1992 until 1995 and again from 2007 until 2010. He also was the Governor of Ilocos Norte from 1983 until 1986 and from 1998 until 2007.

In October 2021, Marcos announced his candidacy for President of the Philippines in the 2022 election.[4] He won the election in May 2022 in a landslide victory.[5][6]

Early life

Marcos Jr., nicknamed 'Bongbong', was born in Santa Mesa, Manila.[7] He is the second child to Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos and Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez. His parents had three daughters. He had four siblings by his father's first marriage.[8]

In 1970, Marcos was sent to England where he lived and studied at Worth School in West Sussex. He later went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, to study philosophy, politics and economics; however he never graduated with that degree.[9][10][11] Marcos had passed philosophy, but failed economics, and failed politics twice, thus making him ineligible for a degree.[12][13] Instead, he received a special diploma in social studies, which is awarded mainly to non-graduates.[9][14] Marcos still falsely claims that he got a degree from the University of Oxford even though Oxford confirmed in 2015 that Marcos did not finish his degree.[15]

Marcos later went to Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, in the United States, which he failed to complete.[16]

Marcos dictatorship

In 1980, the 23-year-old Marcos Jr. became vice governor of Ilocos Norte, running unopposed under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party of his father, who was ruling the Philippines under martial law at the time.[17] He then became governor of Ilocos Norte in 1983, holding that office until his family was removed from power by the People Power Revolution and fled into exile in Hawaii in February 1986.[18] After the death of his father in 1989, President Corazon Aquino eventually allowed the remaining members of the Marcos family to return to the Philippines to face many charges.[19]

Congress career

Marcos was elected as representative of Ilocos Norte's 2nd congressional district from 1992 to 1995. Marcos ran for and was elected governor of Ilocos Norte again in 1998. After nine years, he returned as representative from 2007 to 2010, then became senator under the Nacionalista Party from 2010 to 2016.[20]

2016 vice presidential campaign

In 2015, Marcos ran for vice president in the 2016 election. Marcos lost to Camarines Sur representative Leni Robredo by a small amount of votes.[21] In response, Marcos protested the results. His petition was later dismissed after the pilot recount of the chosen provinces of Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Camarines Sur showed Robredo expanding her lead and therefore winning the vice presidential election.[22][23]

2022 presidential campaign

In 2021, Marcos announced that he would run for president of the Philippines in the 2022 election, under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).[24] His campaign had criticism for spreading fake information about his rivals such as Robredo and for lying about his father's dictatorship.[25] His campaign has also been accused of ignoring or changing facts about the human rights abuses and increase of wealth that took place during his father's presidency.[26][27]

On November 16, 2021 Marcos announced his running mate to be Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte and mayor of Davao City.[28]

Marcos had a wide lead in presidential polls throughout the months leading up to the May 2022 election.[29][30] He is the first presidential candidate in the country to have poll ratings of over 50% from surveys.[31] He has only attended one presidential debate which brought him controversy.[32][33][34][35] He won the election in May 2022 in a landslide victory.[36]

After the May elections, protests have been formed rejecting the results with many calling Marcos the "dictator's son" and his election as the return of "the Marcos dynasty".[37][38]

Presidency

Marcos was sworn-in as the 17th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2022.[39]

On June 20, 2022, Marcos announced that he would make himself the Secretary of Agriculture for a short time to deal with the food shortage crisis in the country.[40]

Legal issues

He and his mother are currently facing arrest in the United States and its territories for ignoring a court order to pay US$353 million in restitution to human rights abuse victims of his father's dictatorship.[41] He and his mother are also facing tax evasion charges and payments in the Philippines since the 1990s.[42]

However, on June 9, 2022, United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman[43] said that as a head of state, Marcos has diplomatic immunity, meaning he could visit the United States as president of the Philippines without facing any arrests.[44]

Personal life

Marcos married Louise Araneta in 1993. They have three children.[45]

In March 2020, Marcos was diagnosed with COVID-19.[46]

Bongbong Marcos Media

References

  1. "Bongbong takes a bride". Manila Standard (Kamahalan Publishing Corp.): 4. April 19, 1993. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19930419&printsec=frontpage&hl=en. Retrieved October 10, 2021. "Rep. Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos II wed his fiancee, Louise 'Lisa' Araneta Saturday [April 17] at the Church of St. Francis in Siesole [sic], Italy.". 
  2. "A dynasty on steroids". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 24, 2012. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/a-dynasty-on-steroids-20121119-29kwy.html. 
  3. "Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  4. Sharma, Akanksha; Westcott, Ben (October 6, 2021). "Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, son of late dictator, announces Philippines presidential bid". CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/06/asia/philippines-bongbong-marcos-president-bid-intl-hnk/index.html. Retrieved October 6, 2021. 
  5. "Biden, Xi congratulate Marcos Jr on Philippine presidential win". Al Jazeera. 12 May 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/12/us-china-congratulate-marcos-jr-on-philippine-presidential-win. Retrieved 12 May 2022. 
  6. Cabato, Regine; Westfall, Sammy (10 May 2022). Marcos family once ousted by uprising wins Philippines vote in landslide. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/10/philippines-presidential-election-result-ferdinand-bongbong-marcos/. Retrieved 12 May 2022. 
  7. "Personal Timeline". 2022.
  8. Seagrave, Sterling (1988). The Marcos dynasty. New York ...[etc.]: Harper & Row. ISBN 0060161477. OCLC 1039684909.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Oxford: Bongbong Marcos' special diploma 'not a full graduate diploma'". RAPPLER. October 26, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  10. "Resume of Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  11. "Oxford group: Marcos received special diploma, no college degree". cnn. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  12. "Marcos Pa Rin! The Legacy and the Curse of the Marcos Regime". Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies. 28: 456. 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  13. Collas-Monsod, Solita (November 6, 2021). Yes, I tutored Bongbong in Economics. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://opinion.inquirer.net/146064/yes-i-tutored-bongbong-in-economics. 
  14. Ariate, Joel F.; Reyes, Miguel Paolo P.; Del Mundo, Larah Vinda (November 1, 2021). The documents on Bongbong Marcos' university education (Part 1- Oxford University). Vera Files. https://verafiles.org/articles/documents-bongbong-marcos-university-education-part-1-oxford. 
  15. Gonzales, Catherine (February 5, 2022). Bongbong Marcos maintains he's a graduate of Oxford. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1550308/bongbong-marcos-maintains-he-graduated-from-oxford. 
  16. "Bongbong Marcos: Oxford, Wharton educational record 'accurate'". Rappler. http://www.rappler.com/nation/84959-bongbong-marcos-statement-oxford-wharton. Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
  17. Ellison, Katherine W. (2005). Imelda, steel butterfly of the Philippines. Lincoln, Nebraska.
  18. Holley, David (February 28, 1986). "Speculation Grows: Marcos May Stay at Luxurious Hawaii Estate". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035 . https://articles.latimes.com/1986-02-28/news/mn-12789_1_marcos-estate. Retrieved August 16, 2018. 
  19. Mydans, Seth (November 4, 1991). "Imelda Marcos Returns to Philippines". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/04/world/imelda-marcos-returns-to-philippines.html. Retrieved August 16, 2018. 
  20. "List of Committees". Senate of the Philippines. February 5, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  21. Bongbong Marcos running for vice president in 2016. CNN. October 5, 2015. http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/10/05/bongbong-marcos-vice-president-elections-2016-the-filipino-votes.html. Retrieved October 5, 2015. 
  22. "Marcos heir loses bid to overturn Philippine VP election loss" (in en). The South China Morning Post. February 16, 2021. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3121926/ferdinand-bongbong-marcos-loses-bid-overturn-philippines. Retrieved February 16, 2021. 
  23. "Supreme Court unanimously junks Marcos' VP poll protest vs Robredo" (in en). CNN Philippines. February 16, 2021. https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/2/16/Supreme-Court-Bongbong-Marcos-Leni-Robredo-vice-president-poll-protest.html. Retrieved February 16, 2021. 
  24. "Dictator's son Bongbong Marcos files candidacy for president". RAPPLER. October 6, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  25. Filipinos fall for fake history. March 30, 2022. https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/15/240306/Filipinos-fall-for-fake-history. 
  26. (in en) How the Philippines' brutal history is being whitewashed for voters. 2022-04-12. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/12/philippines-marcos-memory-election/. Retrieved 2022-04-23. 
  27. Wee, Sui-Lee (2022-05-01). "'We Want Change': In the Philippines, Young People Aim to Upend an Election" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/world/asia/philippines-election-marcos-robredo.html. Retrieved 2022-05-02. 
  28. Mercado, Neil Arwin (November 16, 2021). It's official: Bongbong Marcos, Sara Duterte running in tandem in 2022 elections. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1515954/breaking-its-official-bongbong-inday-sara-running-as-tandem-for-2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  29. Baclig, Cristina Eloisa (February 18, 2022). The complex role of surveys, public opinion in PH elections. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1556609/the-complex-role-of-surveys-public-opinion-in-ph-elections. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  30. Ruiz, Ellalyn de Vera (April 6, 2022). "Bongbong, Sara still survey frontrunners — Pulse Asia". Manila Bulletin (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation). https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/06/bongbong-sara-still-survey-frontrunners-pulse-asia/. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  31. Ranada, Pia (December 22, 2021). "Marcos outstrips rivals, Robredo clear second placer in Pulse Asia survey". Rappler (Manila, Philippines: Rappler Inc.). https://www.rappler.com/nation/marcos-outstrips-rivals-robredo-clear-second-placer-pulse-asia-presidential-survey-december-2021/. Retrieved April 23, 2022. "This is the first time in a Pulse Asia survey that a presidential aspirant got a 'majority vote' equivalent in survey ratings, Pulse Asia executive director Ana Tabunda told Rappler". 
  32. Mercado, Neil Arwin (March 14, 2022). Bongbong Marcos shuns Comelec debates, cites 'preferred mode of communication with people'. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1568207/bongbong-marcos-shuns-comelec-debates-cites-preferred-mode-of-communication-with-people. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  33. Galvez, Daphne (March 20, 2022). Bello wants Comelec to 'penalize' Bongbong Marcos, Sara Duterte for skipping debates. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1571037/bello-wants-comelec-to-penalize-bongbong-marcos-sara-duterte-for-skipping-debates. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  34. Carreon, Frencie; Cantal-Albasin, Grace (March 20, 2022). "Some Mindanaoans jeer at Marcos for skipping Comelec debate". Rappler (Zamboanga City, Philippines: Rappler Inc.). https://www.rappler.com/nation/some-mindanaoans-jeer-marcos-skipping-comelec-debate/. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  35. Galvez, Daphne (April 22, 2022). Pacquiao keen on attending Comelec debate, if Bongbong Marcos shows up. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1586655/pacquiao-keen-on-attending-comelec-debate-if-bongbong-marcos-shows-up-too. Retrieved April 23, 2022. 
  36. "The son of late dictator Marcos has won the Philippines' presidential election". Associated Press (Manila). 10 May 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/10/1097903733/ferdinand-marcos-wins-philippines-presidential-election. Retrieved 12 May 2022. 
  37. "Protestas en Filipinas en rechazo a la victoria no oficial de Ferdinand Marcos Jr" (in Spanish). France 24. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  38. "Filipino Community Protests Philippine Presidential Election Results". South Seattle Emerald. 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  39. Gita-Carlos, Ruth Abbey (June 30, 2022). "Marcos Jr. sworn in as PH's 17th president" (in en). Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177892. Retrieved June 30, 2022. 
  40. Mercado, Neil Arwin (June 20, 2022). Bongbong Marcos to head agriculture department in concurrent post. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1613544/bongbong-marcos-to-head-department-of-agriculture-in-concurrent-post. Retrieved June 20, 2022. 
  41. Robles, Alan (May 2, 2022). Philippine election: Who is Bongbong Marcos, what's his platform and China views, and why can't he visit the US?. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3176275/philippine-election-who-bongbong-marcos-whats-his-platform-and. 
  42. "Isko to go after P200-B Marcos estate tax debt if elected president". RAPPLER. February 28, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  43. "Deputy Secretary Sherman's Travel to the ROK, Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam" (in en). US embassy & consulate in Vietnam. June 10, 2022. https://vn.usembassy.gov/deputy-secretary-shermans-travel-to-the-rok-philippines-laos-and-vietnam/. Retrieved June 12, 2022. 
  44. Ramos, Christia Marie (June 9, 2022) (in en). Bongbong Marcos 'welcome' to US given his 'diplomatic immunity'- top official. https://globalnation.inquirer.net/204423/bongbong-marcos-jr-welcome-to-us-given-his-diplomatic-immunity-top-official. Retrieved June 12, 2022. 
  45. "Marcos Jr aims to fulfil family's 'destiny' as Philippines president" (in en). The Guardian. 9 May 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/10/ferdanand-marcos-jr-bonbong-philippines-president-promises-unity. Retrieved 14 May 2022. 
  46. Galvez, Daphne (March 31, 2020). "Breaking: Bongbong Marcos Tests Positive for COVID-19" (in en). Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1251836/breaking-bongbong-marcos-tests-positive-for-covid-19. Retrieved February 14, 2022. 

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