Marcos Jr. sworn in as Philippine president

Manila: Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sworn in as president of the Philippines Thursday—36 years after his father was ousted in a popular uprising.  

In a shocking political comeback, Marcos— nicknamed Bongbong—won an election landslide in May. He took his oath at midday local time in a colourful ceremony at the National Museum. 

The daughter of the outgoing president, Sara Duterte, is being sworn in as vice-president.

As per political experts, the 64-year-old’s emerging popularity is the consequence of a decades-in-length mission to work on the family's public picture.  

During the oath-taking ceremony, he expressed gratitude toward the crowd for conveying what he portrayed as "the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy".

Marcos Jr also praised his late father’s rule but said his presidency was not about the past, but a better future.

“I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence …. but he got it done sometimes with the needed support, sometimes without,” he said, adding, “So will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me”.

The premier is acquiring a nation that is still headed for recuperation from a years-long pandemic along with soaring inflation and rising debt.

His father’s rule ended in 1986— a two-decade regime— when a mass uprising saw millions of people take to the streets and the Marcos family. 

Subsequently, the 28-year-old Bongbong fled the country with his family to Hawaii. 

The politician, returned to the Philippines in 1991, and since then sought to paint his father's presidency as a "golden period" of growth and prosperity. 

In the meantime, critics levelled accusations that his social media campaign was rife with misinformation and whitewashed atrocities under his father's rule. 

Marcos, however, denied these allegations.