Former senator Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. commonly referred to as Bongbong Marcos was elected as next president of the Philippines on May 9th, beating Vice President Lenin Robredo with an overwhelming approval rating of 84.39%. On the other hand, Sarah Duterte has determined success as vice president. Her father, Rodrigo Duterte, the outgoing incumbent president of the Philippines is notorious for the war on drugs. President-elect, Bongbong Marcos, the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos who was a dictator, will be inaugurated on June 30th.

When Bongbong Marcos was confirmed as a president-elect, citizens who suffered under the former President Marcos’ martial law expressed deep concern that it would be difficult to conduct a strict investigation and punishment of the former dictator. This is because, in the political system in the Philippines, the incumbent president has the personnel authority of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which is responsible for the recovery of ill-gotten wealth accumulated by former President Ferdinand Marcos’ family. Former president Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos siphoned off about 10 billion dollars during his reign and declared martial law from 1972 to 1981, arresting about 70,000 people as enemies of the state. About half of them were tortured and more than 3,000 people were reportedly killed.

How could the son of a dictator recover his family’s tarnished image and take the presidency in 36 years? The Washington Post reported that the prospect of Marcos Jr.’s victory was a result of Marcos family’s efforts for decades and a deliberate distortion of collective memory. In the presidential election, Bongbong Marcos thoroughly campaigned on social networking sites. Instead of street campaigns or media interviews, he justified his father’s corruption through TikTok, YouTube, and his Facebook account, which boasts more than 6.98 million followers. Also, he left a message “Let’s forget the past and focus on the future.” His campaign worked well for people under the age of 40, who didn’t experience dictatorship and who take up 52 percent of all voters.