Vice President of the Philippines Leni Robredo filed paperwork to run for president on Oct. 7 as President Rodrigo Duterte’s term nears its expiration.
In the election, Robredo will run as a member of the Liberal Party against Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. Marcos Jr. is currently a member of the Philippine Democratic Party—People’s Power. He previously served in the Senate of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. Marcos Jr. will run with the support of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan Party, which was founded by the late Marcos in 1978.
In addition to Marcos Jr., Robredo will run against Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, Panfilo Lacson, Manila Isko Moreno and Manny Pacquiao.
Previously, Robredo defeated Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice presidential race. She won 35.11 percent of the vote, compared to Marcos Jr. who won 34.47 percent of the vote.
Filipino residents expect that a similar close call will occur again in 2022 when the two candidates run against each other and other candidates for President of the Philippines. Robredo and Marcos Jr. are expected to be the frontrunners in the 2022 presidential race.
Robredo has made a name for herself as vice president. As Robredo is a member of the opposition party, she has often clashed with Duterte, a member of the Philippine Democratic Party—People’s Power.
Similarly, Marcos Jr. has been criticized by Robredo as she criticized his late father former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as well as emphasized on Marcos Jr.’s refusal to apologize for his late father’s human rights violations from 1972 to 1981.
Robredo previously served as a lawyer and member of the Philippine House of Representatives, as well as an activist for democratic values and human rights. She also served as Chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and currently serves as Co-Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs alongside Aaron Aquino.
In reaction to Marcos Jr.’s candidacy, left wing activists have protested against him, but Marcos Jr. has not backed down, stating that he was ready to go up against Robredo, who he lost to previously, and other candidates.
Marcos Jr. has also faced backlash as of late, specifically regarding his now deceased father. Marcos served as President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 and from 1972 to 1981, he utilized martial law to enact a dictatorship. Subsequently, Marcos was accused of human rights violations throughout his term.
While Marcos refused to admit wrongdoing, a Hawaiian court determined that Marcos was guilty of human rights violations in 1995. The court awarded $2 billion from Marcos’ estate to compensate approximately 9,000 defendants.
The actions of Marcos have caused distrust in Marcos Jr., which Robredo has emphasized in her past and current campaigns against him.
The 2022 presidential race in the Philippines is expected to be a close call, just as the vice presidential race between front runners Robredo and Marcos Jr. was in 2016. The election will be held on May 9 of 2022, marking the seventeenth presidential election in the Philippines since 1935.
