Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (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.
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. He won the election in May 2022 in a landslide victory.
Early life
Marcos Jr., nicknamed 'Bongbong', was born in Santa Mesa, Manila. 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.
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. Marcos had passed philosophy, but failed economics, and failed politics twice, thus making him ineligible for a degree. Instead, he received a special diploma in social studies, which is awarded mainly to non-graduates. 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.
Marcos later went to Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, in the United States, which he failed to complete.
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. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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). His campaign had criticism for spreading fake information about his rivals such as Robredo and for lying about his father's dictatorship. 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.
On November 16, 2021 Marcos announced his running mate to be Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte and mayor of Davao City.
Marcos had a wide lead in presidential polls throughout the months leading up to the May 2022 election. He is the first presidential candidate in the country to have poll ratings of over 50% from surveys. He has only attended one presidential debate which brought him controversy. He won the election in May 2022 in a landslide victory.
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".
Presidency
Marcos was sworn-in as the 17th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2022.
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.