Bongbong Marcos: The Philippine president in battle with the Dutertes

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, commonly known by his nickname Bongbong, has been gearing up for a conflict that could determine his governmental future.

Monday's midterm elections are, successful effect, a showdown betwixt Marcos and his Vice-President Sara Duterte, girl of erstwhile president Rodrigo Duterte.

The pair, who each correspond the country's astir almighty families, won the 2022 predetermination unneurotic - but their confederation has since collapsed.

They are present warring for power of the senate, which would springiness Marcos the powerfulness to impeach Sara, and springiness Sara extortion from specified a move.

It's a trial for the presidency of 67-year-old Marcos, the lad of an ousted dictator who rebranded his father's turbulent reign to marque a startling comeback successful the 2022 election.

'Destined' for leadership

Born successful 1957 to Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Bongbong was conscionable 8 years aged erstwhile his begetter became president. He was the 2nd of 3 children, and the lone biologic son. The mates aboriginal adopted a boy.

Bongbong's father, a erstwhile lawyer, served successful the Congress and Senate, portion his parent was a vocalist and erstwhile quality pageant winner. Both would execute notoriety - arsenic the household amassed tremendous wealthiness nether a brutal regime, they became synonymous with excess and corruption.

During his archetypal word betwixt 1965 and 1969, Ferdinand Marcos Sr was reasonably popular, and was re-elected by a landslide. But successful 1972, a twelvemonth earlier his 2nd word was owed to end, helium declared martial law.

What followed was much than a decennary of dictatorship, during which the country's overseas indebtedness grew, prices soared and mean Filipinos struggled to marque ends meet. It was besides a play of repression arsenic absorption figures and critics were jailed, disappeared oregon killed.

Through it all, Marcos Sr was grooming his lad for leadership.

Bongbong's puerility chamber successful llocos Norte, the family's stronghold successful the north, which is present a museum, has a representation of him wearing a aureate crown and riding a achromatic stallion.

But the elder Marcos was besides disquieted astir whether his lad would measurement up to the role. A diary introduction from 1972 read: "Bongbong is our main worry. He is excessively carefree and lazy".

Marcos enrolled successful Oxford University to survey Philosophy, Politics and Economics, but it was aboriginal revealed that helium did not postgraduate with a bachelor's grade arsenic helium claimed.

Oxford said successful 2021 that helium was awarded a peculiar diploma successful societal studies successful 1978. That too, section media reports alleged, was the effect of lobbying by Philippine diplomats successful the UK aft Marcos Jr failed his exams.

He returned location and joined politics, becoming the vice-governor and past politician of Ilocos Norte.

But the governmental vocation his parents had envisioned for him would beryllium chopped abbreviated by a gyration successful 1986.

An economical situation had already triggered unrest - but the assassination of a salient absorption person brought tens of thousands onto the streets.

A sustained run yet convinced a important faction of the service to retreat its enactment for the Marcos regime, and hastened its downfall.

The household fled to Hawaii with immoderate valuables they could bring, but near down capable impervious of the lavish lives they had led.

Protesters who stormed the statesmanlike palace recovered fanciful lipid portraits of the family, a jacuzzi with gold-plated fixtures and the now-infamous 3,000 pairs of decorator shoes owned by Imelda Marcos.

The household is accused of plundering an estimated $10bn of nationalist wealth portion successful power. By the clip Marcos Sr died successful exile successful 1989, his was a tarnished name.

And yet, immoderate 3 decades later, his lad was capable to whitewash that past capable to triumph the statesmanlike election.

Becoming president

After they returned to the Philippines successful the 1990s, Marcos became a provincial governor, congressman and senator, earlier moving - and winning - the statesmanlike contention successful 2022.

Social media was a large portion of this rebranding, winning Marcos caller supporters - particularly among the younger procreation successful a state wherever the median property is astir 25.

On Facebook, the Marcos household bequest has been rewritten, with propaganda posts claiming that Marcos Sr's authorities was really a "golden period" for the country.

On TikTok, a martial instrumentality anthem from the Marcos Sr epoch became the soundtrack to a cute situation for Gen Z users, who would grounds older household members marching to the beat.

As his popularity grew, Marcos launched his statesmanlike bid with Sara Duterte moving for vice-president. She vowed to enactment with Bongbong to unify the state and marque it "rise again".

They called themselves the "uniTeam", and combined the 2 families' almighty bases: the Dutertes successful the south, and the Marcos's successful the north.

It paid off. Marcos won by a thumping 31 cardinal votes, much than treble the full of his closest rival.

"Judge maine not by my ancestors, but by my actions," Marcos said arsenic triumph became apparent, vowing to "be a president for each Filipinos".

Three years into his presidency, Marcos has brought Manila person to the US and progressively confronted an assertive China successful the South China Sea - a cardinal departure from Duterte's presidency.

That wasn't the lone happening that caused a ace successful his confederation with Sara Duterte, which yet descended into an ugly, nationalist spat.

He gave her the Education portfolio, erstwhile she had openly sought the much almighty Defence portfolio. He initiated impeachment proceedings against her implicit alleged misuse of authorities funds. Sara Duterte past "joked" that she had hired assassins to termination Marcos, and helium cleared the mode for her begetter to beryllium arrested and taken to the Hague for his relation successful a deadly warfare connected drugs that killed thousands.

Sara Duterte's impeachment, which has been approved by the little house, present awaits a proceedings successful the senate, making Monday's legislature races imaginable game-changers.

Whatever the outcome, the conflict that has erupted betwixt these erstwhile allies volition not extremity connected Saturday.

It inactive remains to beryllium seen if the Marcos comeback tin upwind the Dutertes.