The Marcos dynasty seeks to rise again

Former senator Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., 64 years old, the only son of the deposed former president Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr., was proclaimed as the official standard bearer of the KBL or Kilusang Bagong Lipunan on September 24, 2021 in a party convention at Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union. It is now clear that he is abandoning his failed protest against vice president Leni Robredo, who defeated him in 2016 with 14,418,817 votes against Marcos' 14,156,344 or a plurality of 262,473.

Bongbong's coming out as a presidential bet was after Ping Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, and Isko Moreno declared their respective bids for the presidency. The Liberal Party's Leni Robredo was still spent at that point in time. It looks like a very crowded race with at least five major aspirants next year. I have a feeling that 2022 will practically repeat the spectacle of 2016, when then mayor Rody Duterte slugged it out with Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Jojo Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and my long-time friend in DOLE, NLRC, and in the service to the OFWs abroad, forever idealistic, the late Roy Seneres (may the Lord bless his soul).

If Bongbong wins, the Marcoses will be returning to Malacañang Palace, after they were unceremoniously ousted in February of 1986. That would be the climax of the long process of the resurrection of the Marcos dynasty. As of today, the son of Senator Imee Marcos, Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc, has replaced her as governor of Ilocos Norte. The vice governor is Cecilia Araneta Marcos, the aunt of the governor. The congressman representing the 2nd District of the province is another scion of the Marcos clan, Eugenio Angelo Marcos Barba. The rule of the Marcoses started with Ferdinand Marcos Sr., his widow Imelda, Bongbong, and Imee as governor and later representatives.

The city mayor of Laoag is Michael Marcos Keon, son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s sister Elizabeth Keon. The son of Bongbong, Sandro is running for congressman in the 1st District against the Bar topnotcher Rudy Farinas' daughter Ria Christina Farinas. The Marcoses are going to wipe out all other families from Ilocos Norte. Of course, they cannot touch Ilocos Sur, which is the kingdom of another political lord, the fabled multi-billionaire Chavit Singson, former friend of both former president Erap and presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao. In Leyte, the first district's congressman is Martin Romualdez whose wife is also a party-list representative. The city mayor is Alfred Romualdez who replaced his wife Cristina as the city's chief executive.

These people believe that public offices are like the kingdom of Great Britain or the sultanate of Oman where power is inherited as if the whole nation is their own family corporation. That is not the most serious problem though. What should bother us more is that the people have accepted family dynasties as an inevitable and immutable way of life.