Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was sworn in as the president of the Philippines on Thursday, more than three decades after his father was overthrown in a popular uprising.
The big picture: The return of a Marcos to the presidency is the stunning conclusion of a decades-long process to rehabilitate the family’s political brand, Axios’ Dave Lawler writes.
- Marcos and his running mate, Sara Duterte, won last month’s election by a landslide.
- Sara Duterte is the daughter of outgoing strongman Rodrigo Duterte.
State of play: Activists, including victims of the martial law imposed during the earlier Marcos rule, protested the inauguration in Manila — with thousands of law enforcement officers, including snipers and SWAT commandos and snipers, also present, AP reports.
- “Marcos Jr’s refusal to recognize the abuses and wrongdoings of the past, in fact lauding the dictatorship as ‘golden years’, makes him very likely to continue its dark legacy during his term,” leftist alliance Bayan warned, per AFP.
- Activists had mounted an 11th-hour effort to prevent Marcos Jr. from taking power, but the country’s Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions seeking to have him disqualified, Reuters reports.
What to watch: Refusing to take part in many media interviews and skipping presidential debates, Marcos has not revealed many details about his goals while in office.
- He has promised to create more jobs and fight inflation, per Reuters. He’s already appointed himself agricultural minister, saying he will seek to immediately boost food production and bring down prices.
Source:axios.com