Marcos Jnr sworn in as Philippine president decades after father was ousted from power
- Marcos Jnr pledged education reforms, to improve food sufficiency, infrastructure, and to give full support for millions of overseas Filipino workers
- ‘Bongbong’ succeeds the popular Rodrigo Duterte, who gained infamy for his deadly drug war and has threatened to kill suspected dealers after he leaves office
“I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence … He got it done,” Marcos Jnr said after being sworn into office, claiming his father built more roads and produced more rice than all of his predecessors combined.
“So will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me.” He added: “No looking back in anger or nostalgia.”
The elder Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines from 1965 for two decades, almost half of it under martial law, helping him to extend his grip on power until his overthrow and his family’s retreat into exile during a 1986 “people power” revolution.
Thousands of Marcos opponents were jailed, killed or disappeared during his rule, and the family name became synonymous with cronyism, extravagance and the disappearance of billions of dollars from state coffers. The Marcos family has rejected accusations of embezzlement.
“Bongbong” won last month’s elections by a landslide, securing the biggest victory since his father.