Philippine election: why are overseas Filipinos such big fans of Bongbong Marcos Jnr?

The presidential frontrunner, hailing from a family reviled by many citizens, has a large fan following among Filipinos working abroad, including in Japan, Hong Kong

Many workers who run online campaigns in support of the senator and his running mate Sara Duterte-Carpio say charisma is one of the reasons why they back him

Reading Time:4 minutes

Cherry Querubin (top left) with Marcos Jnr’s supporters in Japan. Photo: Yuri Kikuchi

Published: 9:00am, 2 Jan 2022Updated: 1:14pm, 2 Jan 2022

Despite the Philippines’ former dictator Ferdinand Marcos plundering government coffers and killing thousands during his rule under martial law, his son’s star continues to shine bright in the run-up to the country’s presidential election in May.

The support for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, 64, is especially strong among Philippines’ 2.2 million overseas workers.

Before the pandemic that forced thousands to return to the archipelago jobless, they remitted home US$33.5 billion in 2019, constituting almost 10 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Marcos Jnr is also polling well among domestic voters in the nation of 110 million. A November Pulse Asia Research survey showed 53 per cent of 2,400 respondents chose him as their preferred successor to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Vice-President Leni Robredo, the opposition leader, came a distant second with 20 per cent. Marcos Jnr, a former senator, ran unsuccessfully against Robredo for the vice-presidency in 2016, a defeat he challenged in the courts. The Supreme Court dismissed his legal petition earlier this year.

For Filipino workers abroad, Marcos’ alliance with Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio is fuelling hope of success at the polls. She led the vice-presidential race with 45 per cent of respondents supporting her in the Pulse Asia survey.