Philippines president

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. marks his first 100 days as president of the Philippines on October 8. Marcos promised to continue the priorities of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, while pushing for a revival of the policies of his late father, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In his most prominent public speeches, Marcos has touted a post-COVID recovery plan for the economy, pledging targets like the Philippines reaching a middle-income status for most citizens by the end of his term. He also promised to achieve single-digit poverty rates by 2028. The president presented an assessment of his time in office so far, saying he managed to oversee a “government which is functional and which has a very, very good idea of what we are targeting in terms of strict economic targets.” However promising it sounds, Luis Teodoro, a veteran journalist, Martial Law survivor, and trustee at the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) says it’s still too early to tell. Diplomat Brief Weekly Newsletter N Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. Get the Newsletter There are too many pieces of the puzzle we’ve yet to see. The presidential cabinet has yet to be completed, with a health secretary among the most glaring vacancies. Teodoro also said Marcos has made unexpected public statements, for example at the United Nations where he called on countries to respect human rights, something that has been a major policy contention in...

A Conversation with Henry Kissinger at 100 As Henry Kissinger celebrates his centennial he sat down with Bloomberg's Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait to look back over the events of his lifetime. Covering his early life in Europe, his rise to power in the United States and the marks he left on Asia. Bloomberg Radio The Philippines isn’t shifting away from China and will foster ties with the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, underscoring efforts to balance relations as tensions increase between China and the US. “Some people have said that the Philippines has shifted its policy away from the People’s Republic of China and to other powers,” Marcos said Thursday on the sidelines of an awards ceremony co-led by the Chinese embassy in Manila. “That is certainly not true.”

Incoming Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, and outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, right, attend Marcos' inauguration ceremony in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, June 30, 2022. Francis R. Malasig/AP MANILA, Philippines — Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, was sworn in as Philippine president Thursday in one of the greatest political comebacks in recent history but which opponents say was pulled off by whitewashing his family's image. His rise to power, 36 years after an army-backed "People Power" revolt booted his father to global infamy, upends politics in the Asian democracy, where a public holiday, monuments and the Philippine Constitution stand as reminders of his father's tyrannical rule. Activists and survivors of the martial law-era under his father protested Marcos Jr.'s inauguration, which took place at a noontime ceremony at the steps of the National Museum in Manila. Thousands of police officers, including anti-riot contingents, SWAT commandos and snipers, were deployed in the bayside tourist district for security. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, were among foreign dignitaries attending. "Wow is this really happening?" asked Bonifacio Ilagan, a 70-year-old activist who was detained and severely tortured by counterinsurgency forces during the elder Marcos's rule, before the inauguration. "For victims of martial law like me, this is a nightmare." Such historic...

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late dictator, was sworn in today as the 17th president of the Philippines. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Romualdez Marcos Jr. PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR: Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken). MARCOS: (Non-English language spoken). MARTÍNEZ: On hand was outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte, who spent his last days in office extending what critics called his record as an autocrat and renewing a crackdown on the press. NPR's Julie McCarthy is our Southeast Asia correspondent and is tracking this from the U.S. right now. Julie, tell us about the ceremony. What kind of tone and message was Marcos trying to cast with this inauguration before, well, more than a hundred million people of his country. JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE: Well, it was a baton-passing like no other the Philippines has seen, A. History came full circle in one of the most remarkable rehabilitations of a disgraced family. The Marcos regime was ousted for abusing human rights and plundering the nation. The family was forced into exile. And today was the culmination of their decadeslong bid to regain power. Imelda Marcos may be best known for her shoe collection, but she was once the driving force behind this comeback, and she was there today at 92. MARTÍNEZ: So how did they persuade millions of Filipinos to give them a second chance, I mean, in a landslide, no less? MCCARTHY: That's ...

Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, left, raises arms with running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current president, during their last campaign rally Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Paranaque city, … Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the … MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte are the new leaders of the Philippines, an alliance that ushers in six years of governance that has some human rights activists concerned about the course their country may take with the pair in power. Here is a look at the new president and vice president of the Philippines, who ran in separate races for their posts. A former provincial governor, congressman and senator, the 64-year-old son who goes by his childhood nickname “Bongbong” has managed to return his family to the presidency 36 years after the “People Power” revolt ousted his father and sent him into exile for filching billions and mass human rights abuses. His mother, Imelda Marcos, twice unsuccessfully attempted to retake the seat of power after returning with her children to the Philippines from exile in the United States, where her husband died in 1989. Marcos Jr. has defended his father’s legacy and steadfastly refuses to apologize for or acknowledge the atrocities and plunder during the dictatorship. Married to a lawyer, with whom he has three sons, he has stayed away from con...

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