By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Yes, he has won the presidency. But Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. might not have realized that even if he did, it does not change many people’s perception of what he or his family represents in Philippine politics and society.
Twenty years of his father’s cruel, corrupted, and conceited one-man rule cannot be easily erased even by his landslide victory in this year’s polls or by disabling online access to Malacanang’s historical files.
As such, Marcos Jr.’s own rule will be, to say the least, polarizing for the nation for the next six years and a lot less than his campaign team’s romanticized vision of unity. But, of course, that is if his administration even survives six years without impeachment and other legal challenges.
Not even sworn-in for the job, Bongbong and his family already experienced the backlash of his election when protesters tried to disturb their brief and low-key getaway to Australia this week. In contrast, his rival Vice President Leni Robredo’s similarly low-key, economy class flight to the United States last weekend drew a jubilant crowd of Filipinos welcoming her arrival at the airport.
I’m no seer of any sort and, certainly, I do not wish to jinx the next administration with useless sour-graping. Still, I cannot ignore obvious indications that power back in the hands of a Marcos is unsettling.
And I mean this in the general sense in that every breath he takes, every move he makes – everyone is watching him; waiting for a slip-up, a tiny dent that can lead to a crack that can run and cause him to crumble under his pedestal so that his newfound mandate can be forfeited.
The sins of the Marcoses to the Filipino nation caused that deep of a wound in society and left a legacy of corruption, both systemic and systematic, and mafia-like cover-ups in government – the kind that tolerated severe injustices written in blood.
I believe that even the leaders of nations who have sent their congratulatory messages to our president-elect Marcos Jr. are tentative themselves, baffled and quite confused about what to make of him. Is he really “The Man” in the Philippines they should be signing treaties with? Will their foreign investments be protected and prosper in a country under his leadership?
The funny thing is, even though I drag my feet, it seems I would have to count myself on the side of the majority of Filipinos who voted for him. My vote was defeated in a democratic process that I embraced most preciously since the dictator’s fall in 1986.
As a Filipino, I have to be a worthy and responsible citizen of my beloved country, and that includes paying my dues to and supporting our only government. But like other equally responsible citizens, I shall be watching and calling out abuses.
Victory might have been his in this election, but the last laugh should belong to the nation.
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