{O/C} To the Philippines, where Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the son of a deposed dictator, was sworn in as President of the Philippines.
This marks a resilient comeback of the Marcos family whose sheen was tarnished by the army-backed "People Power" revolution that removed his father from power.
{Take SOT}
{Upsound 00:00 - 00:03}
"Bongbong" Marcos rose to the helm with a vengeance after success beat a path to his door at the suspenseful election last month.
In his inaugural speech, he vowed to make good on his campaign promises, from education, infrastructure to support for millions of overseas Filipino workers.
{Soundbite}
FERDINAND MARCOS JR., Philippine President:
When my call for unity started to resonate with you, it did so because it echoed your yearnings, mirrored your sentiments, and expressed your hopes for family, for country and for a better future. That is why it reverberated and amplified as it did, to deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy.
{VO}
In addition to hailing the strenuous infrastructure projects headed by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year tenure also culminated with snubs to dissidents, he also airbrushed his family's image as he defended his father's contentious legacy.
{Soundbite}
I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence in a land filled with people with the greatest potential for achievement, and yet they were poor. But he got it done. Sometimes, with the needed support. Sometimes, without. So, will it be with his son.
{VO}
The swearing-in ceremony also boasted a 21-gun salute, a glorious military parade and flyovers.
Among the guests: Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and the US Vice President's husband, Doug Emhoff.
The country's new leader also pleaded for unity, albeit never mentioning the human rights atrocities, saying he wasn't there to discuss history, but the future.
But just as the rebellious survivors under his father's martial law warned, two can play at that game.
{Upsound 02:13 - 02:15}
Protesters marching in the streets of central Manila held placards that said, "Never again to martial law" and, "Reject Marcos-Duterte".
Meantime, thousands of anti-riot officers were deployed in the bayside tourist district where the inauguration was held to ensure safety.
Bongbong's lightning ascent to power came 36 years after his father's tyrannical regime was decimated by the 1986 "People Power" uprising that upended politics in the Asian democracy.
Comments