FAMILY VALUES

New Philippine President Praises Dictator Dad at Inauguration

The Marcoses stole an estimated $10 billion during their last time in power.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the new president of the Philippines, lavished praise on his tyrannical father at his inauguration speech on Thursday. Marcos Jr. won last month’s election by a landslide after Rodrigo Duterte stood down. Marcos Jr. praised his father for building the nation’s infrastructure, and similarly said he would give his people “no excuses” during his rule as his father had done. Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines between 1965 and 1986, overseeing an era of extreme poverty, devastating national debt, and violent repression of political opponents. He was removed from power in a popular uprising and, in the years since, the scale of his family’s theft of the nation’s wealth has been exposed. It is thought the Marcoses plundered around $10 billion from the Philippines during their rule.