Philippines election campaign starts with Marcos Jr in the lead

Former dictator's son has topped pre-election surveys by a wide margin

Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr has set his sights on the highest office. Reuters

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of the Philippines' former dictator, is leading the list of candidates running for president as campaigning began on Tuesday.

Tough measures aimed at tackling the coronavirus were in place as the three-month campaign period opened for national posts ― including the president, separately elected vice president and half of the 24-seat Senate.

The latest public polling data from late last year shows the May 9 election headed towards a showdown between Vice President Leni Robredo and Mr Marcos, a former senator.

Mr Marcos, whose namesake father was overthrown in a 1986 army-backed uprising, has topped pre-election surveys by a wide margin, alarming Ms Robredo.

Ms Robredo narrowly defeated Mr Marcos in the 2016 vice presidential race, but has been trailing far behind him in recent polls for the presidential race.

In December, Mr Marcos led a Pulse Asia Survey of 2,400 respondents with 53 per cent of votes, while his running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, topped a separate poll for vice president with 45 per cent, Reuters reported.

Mr Marcos, 64, has previously served as deputy governor and governor of northern Ilocos Norte province. He is also a former congressman and former senator. One of his sisters, Imee Marcos, is a senator.

A political analyst in Manila, Richard Heydarian, said the Marcos family managed to gain widespread attention and a large following by tapping into the disenchantment among many Filipinos against the system that replaced the Marcos dictatorship.

“What we’re witnessing now, especially with the massive surge that Ferdinand Marcos Jr is enjoying, is nothing short of a counter-revolution,” Mr Heydarian said.

Analysts say it’s too early to predict the election outcome, despite Mr Marcos’s lead in opinion polls, because of the often-unpredictable shifts in the volatile Philippine politics.

“The surveys are just a snapshot,” said Jean Franco, a professor at the University of the Philippines.

The other main contenders include Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, a former actor who has impressed many with his rags-to-riches life story and clean-up of the capital, Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief known for his exploits against crime and corruption, and Senator Manny Pacquiao, the former boxing champion who has promised to jail corrupt politicians and provide free houses to the poor.