With over 90 percent of the votes counted so far, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. leads in the 2022 Philippine presidential election.
With about 65.7 million registered voters in the Philippines and 1.69 million overseas, Marcos currently holds 59 percent of the votes, more than twice those of his nearest competitor, current Vice President Leni Robredo.
Sara Duterte-Carpio, Marcos’ running mate and daughter of current President Rodrigo Duterte, leads in the vice presidential election at 61 percent, followed by Robredo’s running mate, Kiko Pangilan, at only 18 percent, as of this writing.
The elections appear to reflect the success of the Marcos family’s efforts to restore their name by using a historical revisionist campaign on social media. Leading up to the elections, Pro-Marcos propaganda spread across platforms like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
Last week, Filipino American group US Filipinos for Good Governance identified 102 trolls in an effort to combat the spread of misinformation in the Philippines by launching a website dedicated to exposing pro-Marcos trolls on Facebook.
The Marcos era of Ferdinand Marcos is considered one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history after its 14-year period of martial law from 1972 to 1981. During this period, the administration engaged in a series of human rights abuses in targeting activists, journalists, religious workers, political opponents and citizens.
Marcos, who has associated his campaign with his father’s legacy, tapped into the nostalgia of Filipinos who view the dictatorship as a golden era for the country.
The next president will succeed Duterte, whose war on drugs left thousands dead as a result of extrajudicial killings. With Marcos currently in the lead, Duterte is expected to be shielded from facing prosecution at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
The phrase “Please Lord” trended on Twitter in the Philippines, with many netizens praying for a fair national election while expressing their anxiety for the future of their country.
In Manila, technical difficulties with voting machines have been reported, causing delays that have affected about 1.1 million votes, according to election watchdog Kontra Daya.
In the southern island of Mindanao, election-related violence has also been reported, including a shooting on Monday that killed three security guards at a polling station in Buluan municipality. This incident occurred just hours after five grenades exploded outside of a polling station in Datu Unsay municipality, wounding nine people.
Feature Image via Bongbong Marcos
