Ferdinand Marcos Jr is the son of a Phillipines ruler who was overthrown 36 years ago after a popular uprising and now as the President, he has promised unity and a better future for the country.
Marcos Jr won the recent election by a landslide.
He thanked his voters for giving him quote “the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy”.
The elder Ferdinand Marcos ruled for two decades from the mid 1960’s onwards, half of which was under martial law.
During his reign thousands of his opponents were jailed, killed or had disappeared.
And the family name became one linked to cronyism, an extravagant lifestyle and embezzlement.
The Marcos family denies any form of embezzlement or fraud.
And Marcos Jr says he’s here to lead the country to the future and not dwell on the past
But he did defend his father’s legacy and has praised him.
Marcos campaigned on the slogan “together, we shall rise again”
And has vowed to deliver jobs and bring down prices in a country of 110 million people, of whom nearly %25 percent live on less than $2 a day.
But he does have his critics.
Whether you like him or not, he is now the most important political figure in the Philippines.
And can lead the country in the direction he promises or towards what his family name still implies for many in the country.
