(UPDATE) The only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday filed his candidacy for president and revealed that the plan was to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte as his running mate, until the incumbent decided to retire from politics.
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., like other candidates for president, vice president, senator and party-list representative signed the "integrity pledge" at the Comelec tent. Surivors of his father's martial rule had likened his candidacy to "spitting on the graves" of those who died during the Marcos years.
"The original plan was for us to adopt PRRD for our vice presidential candidate pero sa mga nangyari noong nakaraang Sabado ay nagbago ang lahat ng plano," Bongbong told reporters, referring to the President by his initials.
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Marcos will run under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, where he took his oath as member and chairman on Tuesday. It will be his second attempt at a national office that is higher than the Senate seat he held from 2010 to 2016. In 2016, he lost to Vice President Leni Robredo, whose grassroots campaign trumped Bongbong's well-funded bid.
Marcos said he was open to having Duterte's trusted aide, Sen. Bong Go, as his running mate. "Bongbong Bong? Bong to the third power? Baka puwede rin, we'll see."
Asked about the prospect of another faceoff with Robredo, Marcos said: "I would not file my certificate of candidacy if I was not ready to campaign."
Robredo is expected to make an announcement on her 2022 election plans at 11 a.m. Thursday.
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