Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr has been sworn in as the new president of Philippines succeeding outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte.
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Marcos Jr – nicknamed Bong Bong – Bong won the election landslide last month. Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing president, is being sworn in as vice-president.
Marcos Jr took his oath of office at midday local time (0400GMT) on Thursday June 30 in a colourful ceremony at the National Museum.
His inauguration marks a stunning comeback for the Marcos political dynasty, which was ousted after a popular revolt in 1986.
Flanked by his wife and three sons, Marcos waved and smiled while observing a parade that featured an aerial display of jet fighters and march-pasts of Philippine’s military.
In his first speech as president, he thanked the crowd for delivering what he described as “the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy.”
Marcos Jr, 64, paid tribute to his late father dictator Ferdinand Marcos – who ruled the Philippines for two decades with an iron fist.
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During the time of his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, the country was plunged into martial law and he took control of the country’s courts, businesses and media while the army and police arrested and tortured thousands of dissidents and murdered political opponents.
“I once knew a man who saw how little had been achieved since independence. He got it done,” Marcos Jr said. “So will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me.”
He repeated calls for “national unity” – a refrain that featured prominently during his campaign trail, before urging the crowd not to look back “in anger or nostalgia.”
Marcos Sr’s rule ended in 1986, when a mass uprising saw millions of people take to the streets and the Marcos family – including a 28-year-old Bongbong – fled the country for Hawaii.
The long-time politician, who returned to the Philippines in 1991, has since sought to paint his father’s presidency in a good light.
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