‘Some call it a circus’: dictator’s son, boxing icon and former actor vie to lead Philippines
Presidential vote is likely to be referendum on the kind of governance the public wants after almost six years of Rodrigo Duterte in power


Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, the son of the late Philippines dictator, files his certificate of candidacy for president in Pasay city. Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent
Mon 18 Oct 2021 22.14 EDT

A dictator’s son, an actor-turned-mayor, and a champion boxer: an eclectic mix of personalities declared this month that they would compete to become the Philippine’s next president.

More than 60 million Filipinos will go to the polls to decide who should replace the populist leader Rodrigo Duterte, who is nearing the end of his six-year term limit.

“Some call it a circus, I actually call it a fiesta,” says Tony La Viña, Dean of the Ateneo School of Government. “It’s going to be very interesting, with lots of twists and turns.”

The election in May 2022 comes at a crucial time for the Philippines, which has faced one of the worst Covid outbreaks in south-east Asia and has distributed enough vaccine doses to fully protect just under a quarter of the population. The pandemic, and long, punishing lockdown restrictions, have battered the economy.

For Duterte, too, the stakes are especially high. Last month, the international criminal court (ICC) announced that it was investigating his so-called “war on drugs”, in which as many as 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed. A sympathetic successor could adopt his stance of not cooperating with the court.

According to polling by Pulse Asia, his daughter Sara Duterte is currently the frontrunner for the top job. Yet she has denied that she will join the race, and has missed the deadline to file a candidacy – unless she chooses to become a last-minute substitute, as her father did in 2016.

It is expected to be a tight race. Almost neck-and-neck for second place, according to the early polling, is former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr, namesake and son of the late dictator, Isko Moreno, a former actor and current Manila mayor, and the senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. Behind them, is vice-president Leni Robredo, an outspoken critic of Duterte, and Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief.

“It’s anybody’s game,” says Carmel V Abao, assistant professor in the department of political science at Ateneo de Manila University. The vote, she added, is likely to be referendum on the kind of governance the public wants after almost six years of Duterte in power.

Manny Pacquiao: the boxer

Philippine boxing icon and Senator Manny Pacquiao Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Pacquiao is a champion boxer and national icon, with a rags-to-riches story that resonates with many. He grew up in Mindanao, one of the poorest areas of the country – and also Duterte’s stronghold. He left aged 14 as a stowaway on a boat bound for Manila, and worked in construction jobs, sending money back home, before he was spotted as a talented fighter.

Pacquiao began his political career in 2010, becoming a member of the House of Representatives and, despite a poor attendance record, a senator in 2016.

An evangelical Christian, he has said he opposes divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage. He was widely criticised for stating that people in same-sex relationships “are worse than animals”.

In the past, Pacquiao has fervently defended Duterte, even claiming the president was anointed by God. He supported Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, despite admitting using drugs himself as a teenager. He also helped remove Senator Leila De Lima from her position as chair of the Justice and Human Rights Committee. She is a critic of Duterte who was investigating killings related to anti-drugs operations who has been imprisoned on drugs charges she says are politically motivated.

Relations between Pacquiao and Duterte have since soured, however. Pacquiao has lashed out at Duterte over a recent corruption scandal and accused him of not being tough on China. He has also said he will not block the ICC’s investigation into the war on drugs.

It’s not clear if Pacquiao’s status as a boxing champion will translate into enough votes to win the top job. However, he is expected to weaken Duterte’s loyal base in Mindanao.
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