Life writes the most beautiful soap operas, at least in the Philippines, where the candidates for the election in May are currently positioning themselves. This phase rarely happens without drama, without aaahs and ooohs. And it is important to stage yourself carefully and to produce symbolic images, like recently at a wedding in the Filipino high society. The spotlights were not aimed at the bridal couple, but at two guests who want to make it to the top, in tandem: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the only son of the former dictator, arm in arm with Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the incumbent President who is no longer allowed to run.
What a pairing. In the photos Sara has hooked up nicely with Ferdinand, this is how the line-up is now: She is running as a runner-up while he wants to move into the presidential palace. But what some celebrate as a power duo, others see as double horror; one reviewer named the couple dictatorannical, a play on words in which the terms dictatorial and tyrannical merge.
Many fear the return of the dark times
In any case, Marcos, whom they call bongbong, stirs up fears among liberal forces that he could bring back the dark times of his father. His polls were recently better than those of all other candidates, only Sara Duterte is even more popular. However, she had refused to run for the highest office, she only wants to run as vice. Why she is so withdrawn is hotly debated, but first of all, she is paving the way for the Marcos clan back to the top of the state.
It seems bizarre that the scion of a despot, who ruthlessly pursued opponents and shamelessly diverted billions, can now hope for the highest office of the state. Especially since Marcos Jr. never distanced himself politically from his father. But there are reasons for this success: Marcos can now pretend to complete what the popular Duterte began. There is a strong longing for law and order, for politicians who take tough action, as Duterte does with his anti-drug war. He is the executor and many now expect Marcos to continue. Duterte, in turn, will expect his successor to shield him from the judiciary so that he does not have to go to jail for his crimes.
So one hand could wash the other – if that’s the deal. Few people know for sure, because rich clans dominate politics, which are always opaque and always good for an abrupt turn. Marcos worked for the moment for a long time, the family is still rich and well connected. In 2016, Bongbong entered the race as runner-up, back then he had still lost. Since then he has given the cheated on, which he cannot prove, but what mobilizes his followers.
However, he still has to avoid a few stumbling blocks
Mother Imelda Marcos, who collected 3,000 pairs of shoes on her shelves, is said to have always wished that her son would inherit from her husband. It would be late satisfaction for the 92-year-old. Marcos Jr., 64, could stumble over missed tax returns. This has been confirmed by the court and there is a petition to disqualify him. There is also a dispute about his Oxford studies, which he apparently never completed with a bachelor’s degree, as he claimed as a senator.
In a black and white film that his father Marcos once had made for his career, the son already played as a boy: “I’m Bongbong Marcos,” he says into the camera. “When I grow up, I want to be a politician.” So the staging of his life began early on, as if it were a providence to emulate his father.
As the political scientist Richard Heydarian says, it is about nothing less than saving the family honor. The son is now to move into the palace from which the father was so disgracefully chased in 1986 by the protesting people.