Bongbong: Being a Marcos is a ‘great advantage’

Sen. Bongbong Marcos on Thursday said being the son of the late strongman, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., is a “great advantage” to his bid for vice presidency in the May 2016 elections.

In a live interview on Radyo DZBB’s “Ikaw Na Ba?... The Vice Presidential Interview” program with Mike Enriquez, the younger Marcos said being part of the Marcos clan is a great advantage instead of a “baggage” as viewed by the public.

“Isang malaking kabaligtaran. Sa katunayan, napakalaking advantage niyan,” Marcos said.

He added that as a son of the late strongman, he gained the support of some people in the  government who knew his late father.

“Halimbawa 'yung mga nasa gobyerno, kakilala ko na ‘yan mula ng bata pa ako…Lahat 'yang mga tumulong sa tatay ko, madali ko na sila lapitan ngayon,” Marcos said.

“Ang ibig ko sabihin ay malalapitan para sa eleksyon…at gayundin para sa ating mga proyekto,” Marcos added.

Marcos said the second advantage of being the son of Marcos Sr. is that he no longer needs to introduce himself to the public as the projects of his late father will speak for him and for his family.

“Kahit saan ako pumunta, marami akong maituturo na nagawa ng tatay ko. Kahit saan ako pumunta maraming nagsasabi, ‘O dahil sa tatay mo nagkabahay kami,’ , ‘O dahil sa tatay mo nagkaroon kami ng maayos na tulay, infrastructure,'” Marcos said.

EDSA People Power

Nearly 30 years ago, on February 25, 1986, Marcos and his family fled the country to seek exile in Hawaii at the height of the EDSA People Power Revolution that denounced his father’s administration. Three years later, the former President died in exile in Honolulu.

In 1992, the rest of the Marcos family returned to the Philippines from exile.

The younger Marcos ran in the 1992 elections and served as Congressman in the Second District of Ilocos Norte. Then for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007, he served as Governor of Ilocos Norte.

In 2007, Marcos won another congressional seat and was appointed Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. In 2010, he won the senatorial race, placing 7th overall. —With Veronica Pulumbarit/KG, GMA News