Following departing president Rodrigo Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was sworn in as president of the Philippines during a ceremony in Manila.
The Marcos political dynasty, which was overthrown in 1986 as a result of a public uprising, makes a dramatic comeback with his inauguration. Last month, Mr. Marcos Jr., also known as Bongbong, easily won the election.
The daughter of the outgoing president, Sara Duterte, is inaugurated as vice president.
During a ceremonial swearing-in at the National Museum at noon local time (0400 GMT), Mr. Marcos Jr. took the oath of office.
With his wife and three sons by his side, he waved and grinned as he watched a parade that included a jet fighter aerial display and march-pasts by various uniformed members of the Philippine military.
In his inaugural address, the president praised the audience for helping him win with “the largest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy.”
The 64-year-old leader takes office in a nation still struggling to recover from a pandemic that lasted years, and he or she inherits a bleak economic outlook due to mounting debt and skyrocketing inflation.
Critics claim that despite his broad commitments to increase employment and combat inflation, nothing has been said about substantive policy reform
In the wake of Mr. Duterte’s administration, which has been marked by a violent war on drugs policy and a tightening hold on press freedom, some are also looking to Mr. Marcos Jr. to restore the country’s reputation.
The swearing-in takes place only a few days after the Supreme Court of Manila decided that the incoming president was not barred from office because of tax evasion convictions.
It also comes as a Philippine regulator on Wednesday declared that it stood by its decision to shut down the investigative news website Rappler, one of the few media sources in the country that was critical of the former administration. a person trying to restore a corrupt dynasty
Why the Marcos family is so infamous: Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly legacy
“You won’t get any explanations from me.”
The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who governed the Philippines for 20 years with an iron grip, was honoured by Mr. Marcos Jr. during his inauguration speech.
By declaring martial law and seizing control of the nation’s courts, companies, and media, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Thousands of political opponents and dissidents were arrested by the army and police, tortured, and then killed.
Before asking the gathering not to look back “in anger or nostalgia,” he reiterated demands for “national unity” that were a recurring theme of his campaign path.
The Marcoses’ battle to recover their former political grandeur has lasted for decades, and Mr. Marcos Jr.’s inauguration represents its conclusion.
After a massive revolt in 1986 that saw millions of people take to the streets and the Marcos family, including a 28-year-old named Bongbong, flee the country for Hawaii, Marcos Srtenure .’s came to an end.
The veteran politician has worked to portray his father’s administration as a “golden moment” of development and wealth since his 1991 return to the Philippines.
A vigorous social media campaign led by Mr. Marcos Jr., which won over voters who were too young to have lived through the years of the dictatorship first hand, helped boost his popularity.
Meanwhile, detractors said that his social media campaign was replete with false material and whitewashed crimes committed during the tenure of his father. These charges have been refuted by him.
