Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the only son of the Philippines’ late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, said in a recent interview that he has plans to go after the presidency one day.
The former senator told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday that it is inevitable for him to aspire for a high position since he has been in politics for years.
“My career is politics, and, of course, you aspire to as high a stature within your chosen field as you can achieve — and that would be president in my case,” said Marcos. “But it is not something that I wake up in the morning and plan on.”
Marcos lost the vice presidential race to opponent Leni Robredo in the 2016 Philippine elections by some 260,o00 votes, however, he claims there was “massive cheating” involved and demanded a recount, which began in April.
Marcos said in the same interview that he eyes a fairer, more “egalitarian system of government” for the Philippines.
“In my father’s administration, I kept hearing ‘nation-building,’ and I do not hear that phrase anymore … It’s more politicking than nation-building.”
When asked about corruption allegations against his family, he shut it down by saying: “None of the cases that were filed against us have been won.”
According to the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth is estimated at US$10 billion but only US$3.1 billion has reportedly been recovered in 30 years.
His father took control of the government when he declared Martial Law in 1972 and remained a dictator until 1986, when he was exiled to Hawaii following the People Power Revolution.
During his rule, at least 3,257 people were reportedly killed and some 35,000 others were allegedly tortured.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a civil suit filed in 2010 which sought the recovery of the billions of pesos which were allegedly plundered by the Marcoses and their cronies due to the lack of documentary and testimonial evidence shown by the PCGG. The case was first junked in 2011.
