Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., 64, son and namesake of the late ousted dictator, was elected unopposed into vice gubernatorial seats in Ilocos Norte at the height of his father’s regime in 1980, and eventually into congressional seats representing the same province after his family’s return to the Philippines in 1991. He also served as a senator from 2010 to 2016 before losing a bid for higher office to Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2016 elections.
In at least three civil cases involving the successful recovery of the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth, Marcos Jr. is impleaded as a defendant. The Presidential Commission on Good Government, the quasi-judicial agency tasked with recovering ill-gotten wealth accumulated by the Marcos family and its associates, has so far reclaimed P174.2 billion as of March 2021 — some of which went to compensating victims of human rights abuse during the Martial Law era. Another P125.9 billion has yet to be recovered and remains under litigation.
The commission has said that the younger Marcos barred government attempts to take back the money stolen by his family, though Marcos claims that he never possessed or even benefitted from ill-gotten wealth.
Marcos is campaigning on improving the country's pandemic response and continuing the Duterte administration's anti-insurgency campaign as well as its bloody campaign against illegal drugs but with a focus on prevention, education, and rehabilitation.
His tandem with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the incumbent president's daughter, is formally backed by several other heavyweight political clans including those led by former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada.
The candidate's top priorities if elected to office, tracked against previous promises and accomplishments, if any
- Called on Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to expand home care for mild COVID-19 patients to avoid stress on healthcare system
- Urged national government to give free medicine and vitamins to immediate relatives of healthcare workers
Ordered an inventory and repacking of healthcare supplies in campaign team’s national headquarters
Said that national government should prioritize fighting rebellion and called for “enough funds to suppress insurgency”
Said he was “saddened” when senators called for the defunding and abolishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict over allegations of red-tagging and summary executions of those tagged as communist cadres
Called on government to address “root causes of conflict while protecting the rights and opportunities of all Filipinos” in 2015
Promised to pursue administration’s war on drugs with “same vigor” but different approach focusing on prevention, education, and rehabilitation
Criticized the “revolving door policy” in the turnover of top leadership positions in the national police and military in 2018.
Questioned lack of transparency in the Philippine National Police’s disposal of seized illegal drugs
Called for death penalty for drug lords during 2016 campaign
- Called on the national government to “just accept” that “more extreme weather” conditions would take place due to global warming and urged preparedness for typhoons and other disasters
- Vowed reforestation on a “massive scale,” enhancement of ongoing forest conservation efforts and management of remaining forests “according to strict standards”
- Promised to focus on “air pollution problem” in the country
Urged integration of climate change mitigation in all infrastructure projects after Yolanda. Filed Senate Bill No. 2885 or the Climate Change Education Act pushing to include climate change in the curricula of higher education institutions
Called on the national government to construct more evacuation centers to service families evacuating before and after natural calamities, and be more “proactive” about communicating disaster risks ahead of time. Said public facilities should easily be repurposed to serve as evacuation facilities
Held relief operations for families displaced and affected by Super Typhoon Odette; tapped their volunteer network to prepare and distribute rice, canned goods, milk and instant coffee
The candidate's top five accomplishments and contributions for the last 15 years or so
Public Office
Marcos occupied various executive positions in the local government of his family’s bailiwick, Ilocos Norte, where he was tasked primarily to enforce laws and regulations and administer basic social services. Marcos was also elected to local and national legislative positions as a congressman representing the same province.
None of the 42 bills principally authored by Marcos during his two terms in the House of Representatives were passed into law, though some of the bills he filed ultimately contributed to the passage of laws that created the Department of Energy and the National Youth Commission.
He authored 11 laws and co-authored another two throughout the six years he served in the Senate, the chamber’s official website shows. In his own website, however, Marcos claims that 54 bills he authored, co-authored, sponsored, and co-sponsored as a senator have been enacted into law.
Principal author, 2015
Lapsed into law June 30, 2016
Author, 2015
Approved by the president on May 18, 2016
Author, 2012
Approved by the president on May 27, 2012
Author, 2011
Signed into law Sept. 18, 2012
Actions and/or proceedings pending against or resolved in courts or tribunals involving the candidate, based on publicly available information
Pending Actions and/or Proceedings
| Subject Matter | Relevant Dates | Potential Liability | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ill-gotten wealth cases Cases handled by the Presidential Commission on Good Government |
PCGG has recovered P174.2 billion as of March 2021 | Recovery of ill-gotten wealth | P125.9 billion in Marcos ill-gotten wealth has yet to be recovered and remains under litigation. |
| Hold in contempt in a human rights suit per records from the United States District Court and Court of Appeals | Contempt judgment issued by US court in 1995, relating to the class suit against Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was filed in 1987 before the Hawaii District Court on behalf of over 10,000 other victims of human rights abuses under the Marcos regime | Fine of $353 million | Marcos Jr., who is named defendant as part of his father’s estate, is held in contempt for “contumacious conduct causing direct harm to [a class of human rights victims].” |
| Petitions to disqualify Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | Comelec ordered the consolidation of three petitions filed by Martial Law survivors, the party-list group Akbayan and other civic groups and a faction of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | Disqualification from 2022 election | On Feb. 10, 2022, both of the remaining commissioners in the Comelec’s 1st Division junked three consolidated disqualification cases against Marcos, ruling that he can run for president, in part, because he did not commit a crime of moral turpitude when he was convicted in 1993 for failure to file his income tax returns in the 1980s
By Feb. 15, 2022, the three groups of petitioners filed a motion for reconsideration of the decision; an appeal for the inhibition was also made to the designated writer of the decision, Commissioner Aimee Ferolino The Comelec en banc will rule on the MR |
| Petition to disqualify Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | Filed on Dec. 7, 2021 by members of Pudno Nga Ilokano(Saladanan petition) | Pending with the 2nd Division of the Comelec | |
| Petition to deny due course or cancel the COC filed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | Petition dated Nov. 2, 2021 (Buenafe petition) | Dismissed by Comelec’s 2nd Division on Jan. 17, 2021
A motion for reconsideration was filed on Jan. 24, 2022, which was elevated to the Comelec en banc on Jan. 27 |
|
| Petition to declare Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a nuisance candidate | Filed on Oct. 19, 2021 (Lihaylihay petition) | Comelec’s 2nd Division dismissed the petition on Dec. 16, 2021, ruling that Marcos did not fall within the three groups of nuisance candidates
A motion for reconsideration was filed on Dec. 22, 2021, but was elevated to the Comelec en banc only on Jan. 27, 2022, to the dismay of Lihaylihay |
Resolved Actions and/or Proceedings
| Subject Matter | Relevant Dates | Accrued Liability | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petition to Declare Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Nuisance Candidate and to cancel his COC | Petition dated October 11, 2021 filed with Comelec | Dismissed by Comelec 2nd Division on Dec. 17, 2021 | |
| Tax evasion | Convicted on July 27, 1995 | Criminal Case No. Q-91-24390 for Violation of NIRC of 1977, RTC, Branch 105, Quezon City - sentencing accused to serve imprisonment of three 3 years and to pay a fine of P30,000 | QC RTC Branch 105 issued certification stating that there was no satisfaction or compliance of its earlier order. |
| Tax evasion | Convicted on July 27, 1995 | Criminal Case No. Q-91-24391 for Violation of NIRC of 1977, QC RTC, Branch 105 - sentencing accused to serve imprisonment of three years and to pay a fine of P30,000 | Marcos camp presented Bureau of Internal Revenue certification that Marcos “paid all his deficiency taxes including interest” on Dec. 27, 2001, but could not explain the lack of court documents corroborating this claim. |
| Six other Tax Evasion cases (please refer to the Appendix below) | Convicted on July 27, 1995 |
Also known as SALN, this document is a declaration of one's personal finances. Philippine Law requires the SALN to be submitted by all public officials and employees to the Ombudsman. Public officials and employees may opt to voluntarily disclose their SALN to the public.
*As of December 31, 2015
Key details about the candidate's campaign
None disclosed
Claimed to be “allied with the administration” in October 2021 but said this was “no longer possible” the following month due to changes in the political landscape
Candidate's major donors and campaign funding sources
The candidate's top advocacies in the last 15 years or so
Marcos is a staunch defender of his father’s legacy. As echoed by other Marcos loyalists, he denies and refutes the rulings of various courts recognizing the human rights atrocities committed during Martial Law and the accumulation and concealment of ill-gotten wealth.
More recently, he has been publicly accused of building and maintaining online propaganda networks to publicize revisionist history behind father’s Martial Law regime. Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser publicized the allegation in mainstream media in 2020. The Marcos camp branded reports on the accusations as a “marketing ploy” that was “patently fake, false, and misleading.”
Since announcing his candidacy, Marcos has often vowed to bring “unifying leadership” to government in order to help the country recover from the pandemic. He previously described the deeply polarizing decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the late dictator's burial in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani in 2016 as "healing" and a step towards "achieving unity."
After facing criticism for saying on Jan. 24, 2022 that he would not release his wealth declaration if elected, Marcos reversed his position hours later and said he was "perfectly willing" to release his SALN.
Marcos, however, also expressed support for new rules released by the ombudsman in 2020 that require the permission of the declarant before SALNs can be released in most cases.
The Palace cites these same rules to justify the non-release of President Duterte's SALN.
Status
Ongoing
Successfully pushed for his dictator father's burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.
Accomplished Nov. 18, 2016
Basic information on the candidate's family, background and work experience
- Ferdinand Marcos Sr. (1917-1989), father, House of Representatives (1949), Senate (1959), elected President in 1965 and 1969; dictator following declaration of Martial Law from 1982 to 1986
- Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez (1929), mother, First Lady (1965 to 1986), First Governor of Manila (1975-1986), Congresswoman (1st District of Leyte 1996, 2nd District Ilocos Norte 2010-2013, 2013-2016, 2016-2019)
- Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Romualdez Marcos, Senator (2019 to present)
- Irene Romualdez Marcos-Araneta
- Aimee Romualdez Marcos
- Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, Political Affairs Officer, Office of Congressman Martin Romualdez, 2019 to present
- Joseph Simon Marcos
- William Vincent Marcos
•Secondary School, Worth School England, 1970-1974
•Senator; 2010 to 2016
•Congressman (Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep.); 2007 - 2010, 1992 - 1995
•Ilocos Norte Governor; 1998 - 2007, 1983 - 1986
•Ilocos Norte Vice Governor; 1981 - 1983
