Dictator’s son says Duterte’s daughter will back him in Philippine poll

Manila: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the former dictator of the Philippines, has claimed a major boost in his effort to become the country’s next president, saying that the daughter of its current leader, Rodrigo Duterte, would effectively be his running mate.

Duterte’s daughter, Sara, had yet to confirm that she was supporting Marcos in the May election. But she declared her candidacy for the vice-presidency on Saturday, after much speculation that she would run for president herself.

A union of Marcos, whose family draws its strength from the north, and Sara Duterte, whose base is in the south, would combine the power of two major political dynasties in the Philippines, posing a steep challenge to the other candidates in a crowded race. Presidents and vice-presidents are elected separately in the Philippines, but it is common for candidates to join forces as running mates.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Sara registered her candidacy for vice-president in next year’s elections.Credit: AP

Rights activists fear that a Marcos-Duterte win would continue the authoritarian style of governance that Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ populist and ruthless president, has put in place during his five years in office. Both of them would be likely to maintain, at least to some degree, Duterte’s harsh approach to crime, which has led to international accusations of human rights abuses, and some scholars said a broader erosion of democratic values under him could continue.

“The real tectonic shift in Philippine politics is essentially back to the future – the clawing back to power systematically and successfully by the Marcoses,” said Richard Heydarian, a political scientist at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, who has written a book on Duterte.

“This is how relevant the latest development is,” he said. “The Dutertes may just have been the curtain raiser for the Marcoses. And my God, that says a lot about Philippine democracy and how troubled it has been in recent years.”

The election comes at a crucial time, with the country facing significant challenges in both foreign and domestic policy. The Philippines is the oldest ally of the United States in Asia and an anchor of the US presence in the region. At home, the country of roughly 110 million people is facing high unemployment because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As vice-president, Sara Duterte would be well positioned to defend her father from the potential consequences of his bloody and heavily criticised war on drugs, which is being investigated by the International Criminal Court.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.