The unprecedented landslide victory accorded by the Filipino people to Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in the 9 May 2022 national elections resulted in high expectations for accomplishing their tasks and fulfilling their promises to them.
The foreign press on 10 May 2022 reported in blazing headlines: “Marcos family once ousted in uprising wins Philippine vote in a landslide.”
Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. was elected president of the Philippines by a landslide, according to results, over three decades after the ouster of his father.
Bongbong succeeded the tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte, whose daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, was Bongbong’s running mate and the next vice president.
The tandem, dubbed the “Uniteam” for its supposed message of unity, was a political marriage of the country’s two most powerful families.
In a speech early that Tuesday, Bongbong thanked his supporters for believing in their message of unity and the candidates.
The mood was jubilant as the magnitude of their victory became clear, and Bongbong’s supporters sang and celebrated in front of the campaign headquarters along the same historic avenue where people protested to oust his father more than three decades ago.
Bongbong’s carefully planned journey to the presidency shows how social media can shape perception and politics in a highly online country.
As president, Bongbong will rule over an archipelago of 114 million ravaged by the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, where about a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line.
Regarding the last national election, Nicole Curato, a sociologist and professor at the University of Canberra in Australia, said: “This election is so consequential because whoever wins will decide who lives and dies in the Philippines.”
Keen observers of Philippine politics opined that Bongbong’s governing experience was concentrated in the province where the family hails. Bongbong was expected to continue Duterte’s friendly stance toward China, although there are long-standing ties with the United States, including between their militaries.
According to the official count with all precincts reporting, Bongbong won 59 percent of the ballots cast, more than 31 million votes. Robredo came in with 14.8 million votes — less than half of Bongbong’s total.
Bongbong, speaking of his mother, said: “She’s wanted me to become president since I was three years old.”
The election of Bongbong Marcos to the presidency of the Philippines garnering 59 percent of the vote, about double the vote share of his closest competitor, Bongbong’s decisive win stunned political analysts.
The victory of Bongbong Marcos was just one instance of a broader trend where autocrats or their families and allies returned to power. A nuanced understanding of why Bongbong won may shed light on the deeper reason for the long shadow of authoritarianism and the appeal of so-called illiberal politicians.
Other factors helped Bongbong win the election, like the demographics of the Philippine electorate.
According to this factor, younger voters make up the majority of the electorate who were not alive during the heyday of the Marcos Sr. regime to experience or witness firsthand the abuses that took place under Marcos Sr. As a result, they are less likely to hold negative views of that era and less inclined to hold Bongbong Marcos accountable for the excesses of his father.
The simple explanation for the election of Bongbong to the presidency was his partnership with Sara Duterte. By joining with the Duterte family to form a ticket with him as president and her as vice president, Bongbong created a team that could command support from both Northern Luzon and vote-rich Mindanao while benefiting from the continuing popularity of outgoing President Duterte.
Continuity, coalition, history, and identity provide the most leverage to the question of why Bongbong Marcos won.
(To be continued)