Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr., born on September 13, 1957, is a prominent Filipino politician who currently holds the position of the 17th President of the Philippines. He is commonly referred to by his initials PBBM or BBM. Additionally, Marcos serves as the Secretary of Agriculture concurrently. Prior to his presidency, he served as a senator from 2010 to 2016. Born as the second child and only son of the 10th President and dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and a former first lady, Marcos embarked on his political career in 1980 when he became the Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte, running uncontested under his father’s Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party during the martial law era. Subsequently, in 1983, he assumed the role of Governor of Ilocos Norte until his family was overthrown by the People Power Revolution in February 1986, leading them to seek exile in Hawaii.
Following his father’s passing in 1989, President Corazon Aquino permitted the Marcos family to return to the Philippines to address various charges. Marcos made a subsequent bid for the Senate in 2010 and formed an alliance between the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan and the Nacionalista Party. Despite facing internal conflicts within the party, he was declared one of the successful senatorial candidates in the 2010 elections, assuming office on June 30, 2010.
During the 15th Congress (2010-2013), Marcos authored 34 Senate bills and co-authored 17 others. Notably, seven of the bills he co-authored were enacted into law, including significant legislation such as the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons and National Health Insurance Acts.
Marcos gained substantial popularity in the lead-up to the May 2022 presidential election, consistently maintaining a significant lead in polls. He became the first presidential candidate to surpass a 50% poll rating in surveys conducted by Pulse Asia since the organization’s inception in 1999. However, his decision to abstain from attending most of the presidential debates drew criticism.
In a joint session of the 18th Congress of the Philippines, Marcos was proclaimed as the president-elect of the Philippines on May 25, 2022. The session, overseen by Senate President Tito Sotto and House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, and announced by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez, also proclaimed Vice-President-elect Sara Duterte. Marcos secured 31,629,783 votes, accounting for 58.77% of the total votes cast, with a significant margin of over 16.5 million votes ahead of his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo. His victory marked a significant milestone, as he became the first presidential candidate to be elected by a majority since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1986. Analysts attributed his success, along with Sara Duterte’s, to inheriting the popularity of Rodrigo Duterte, as they both secured landslide victories in the election. Historians regarded his win as a “full circle” moment for the Philippines, symbolizing the return of the Marcos family to national power after 36 years since the People Power Revolution ousted his father from the presidency. Furthermore, Marcos achieved the largest majority since 1981 and the largest margin of victory over his closest opponent since 1953. His vote count not only set a new record for a presidential election but was close to the combined sum of the two previous records.
On June 20, 2022, Marcos announced that he would concurrently serve as the Secretary of Agriculture.