Presidential Aspirants Series: Bongbong Marcos

PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS SERIES: BONGBONG MARCOS

By Anton Antonio

August 14, 2015

“Campaign strategies should, at the very least, revolve around the governance qualification and competence of a candidate.  Mudslinging is part of the political entertainment… but, again, at a certain point, this has to stop.” (Antonio, 2015)  This was my last statement in a blog/article titled “This Has To Stop” published and posted on http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/antonio.c.antonio.  Consistent with my desire to make the 2016 presidential campaign a gentleman’s game, the articles to be carried in the “Presidential Aspirants Series” will not indulge in mudslinging, vilification, character assassination, image-demeaning, etc. hype that has been prevalent on social media lately.  In the next few days, let us make better sense of things, level the playing field, and inform the voting Filipinos on only the strengths of the declared presidential aspirants.  This way, we can all make more informed and intelligent decisions based on merits; and not on negative social media posts and information.  Please note that this “series” will only carry presidential aspirants who categorically and publicly stated that they will run in 2016. To be perfectly fair, the information used in this “series” will also consistently come from the same source (Wikipedia).

Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (born September 13, 1957), widely known as Bongbong Marcos, is a Filipino politician and senator in the 16^th Congress of the Philippines.  A member of the Nacionalista Party, Marcos chairs several senate committees, including the Committee on Local Government and the Committee on Public Works, and is a member of several other committees.

He is the second child of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the former President of the Philippines (1965-1986), and former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos.  He is a former congressman and former governor of Ilocos Norte before his election to the Senate in 2010.  Marcos also previously served as Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

Marcos was born on 13 September 1957.  He is the second child of Ferdinand E. Marcos (1917-1989), former President of the Philippines and Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez.  He was born just two days after his father turned 40 years old.

Marcos took up kindergarten in Institucion Tereciana, Quezon City from 1962 to 1963, and then elementary in La Salle Greenhills from 1963 to 1969.  He finished his secondary education in Worth School, England from 1970 to 1974.  Marcos earned as ungregraduate degree (Special Diploma in Social Studies) in Oxford University, England from 1975 to 1978.  From 1970 to 1981, he undertook graduate coursework in Business Administration at Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Marcos appeared on his father’s true-to-life story film, Iginuhit ng Tadhana, as himself, along with Vilma Santos as his sister Imee Marcos, Luis Gonzales as his father and Gloria Romero as his mother.  The film was released before the 1965 elections.

Political Career:

• Vice Governor – Province of Ilocos Norte (1980-1983) His political career started with his election to Ilocos Norte’s vice-gubernatorial post in 1980.  His term expired in 1983.
• Governor – Province of Ilocos Norte (1983-1986)
• Congressman – 2^nd District, Ilocos Norte (1992-1995) He then was elected as Representative of the 2^nd District of Ilocos Norte in the Congress of the Philippines, serving from 1992 until 1995.
• Governor – Province of Ilocos Norte (1998-2007) He again was elected to the gubernatorial post in 1998.  He ran against his father’s closest friend and ally, Roque Ablan, Jr., and served for three consecutive terms ending in 2007.
• Congressman – 2^nd District, Ilocos Norte (2007-2010) He ran, unopposed, for the congressional seat in the 2007 Philippine Elections, which was previously held by his sister Imee.  He is the founder of Confederation of Ilokano Associations, Incorporated.
• Senator – 15^th & 16^th Congress (2010-present)

On November 20, 2009, the KBL forged an alliance with the Nacionalista Party (NP) between Marcos and NP Chairman Senator Manny Villar at the Laurel House in Mandaluyong City.  Marcos became a guest senatorial candidate of the NP through this alliance.  Marcos was later removed as a member by the KBL National Executive Committee on November 23, 2012.  As such, the NP broke its alliance with the KBL due to internal conflicts within the party, however Bongbong remained part of the NP senatorial line-up.  He was proclaimed as one of the winning senatorial candidates of the 2010 senate elections.  He took office on June 30, 2010.

He is married to Louise Cacho Araneta, with 3 sons: Ferdinand Alexander III (born 1994), Joseph Simon (born 1995) and William Vincent (born 1997).

Allow me to reiterate that my purpose in the “Presidential Aspirants Series” is to give the opportunity for the public to be exposed on the merits and governance skill sets of perceived presidential aspirants in next year’s election.  And now that you’ve read this piece together with the articles on the other presidential aspirants, are you for Bongbong Marcos?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

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REFERENCES:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “This Has To Stop”.  Retrieved on August 14, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/08/this-has-to-stop.html

Wikipedia, (2015).  “Bongbong Marcos”.  Retrieved on August 14, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongbong_Marcos