Marcos, 64, better known as “Bongbong,” takes over on June 30 from Rodrigo Duterte and will serve until 2028, with the incumbent president’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, as vice president. his system.
“I beg you all, pray for me, bless me,” Marcos, wearing a traditional white Philippine barong and trousers, said after the announcement. “I want to do well for this country.”
Marcos won 31.6 million or 58.77% of the vote, with a turnout of 82%.
He won by a margin not seen since before his father’s autocratic rule, 1965-1986, an era characterized by corruption, martial law and the unwarranted luxury of the first family. , a story his campaign sought to subvert.
Marcos’ wife and three sons were also present in Congress, where the family has won a seat in most elections since returning from exile in the 1990s. Also in attendance was Imelda. , the influential power broker, 92 years old, who received loud applause from the house when she posed for pictures.
He will almost certainly command a legislative supermajority, with his sister Imee as a senator, son Ferdinand as a congressman and cousin Martin Romualdez, the leader of the house majority expected to be elected. appointed as speaker, representing the degree of power the family will wield.
He said his areas of focus will be energy prices, jobs, infrastructure and education.
Marcos is still assembling his cabinet, which will need to navigate high inflation, government debt and a difficult foreign policy balance with ally the United States and an increasingly influential China.
Despite the landslide victory, Marcos’ rule will be divisive, with anger spreading among opponents and victims of the crackdown over what they see as historical revisionism to erase their names. family.
Imee Marcos on Wednesday said the family is “very, very grateful for a second chance” at taking power.
