Marcoses poised to make comeback in RP politics

If partial and unofficial results of the May 10 elections are an indication of victory, three members of the Marcos family are set to return to the political scene – two lawmakers and one governor. According to GMA Network’s partial and unofficial tally as of 3:42 a.m. on Tuesday, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, daughter Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee" Marcos, and son Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr. could be headed to victory. [See: GMANews.TV's Eleksyon 2010 provincial count, Ilocos Norte and GMANews.TV's Eleksyon 2010 national count] Imelda, famed for her extravagance and thousands of pairs of shoes, could clinch the House of Representatives seat in Ilocos Norte’s second district, with 96,694 votes against contender former Ilocos Norte vice governor Mariano Nalupta Jr., who only received 23,410 votes. Imee, on the other hand, is a front runner in the gubernatorial race in the same province, getting 166,314 votes against cousin, incumbent Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Marcos Keon, who received 71,704. The third contender, Lucidia Flores, got 643 votes. Bongbong is also doing well in the senatorial race, ranking seventh among 61 senatorial bets. Only the top 12 are entitled to Senate seats. As of 3:42 a.m. on Tuesday, Bongbong has received 9,889,635 votes.

It is not the first time that the Marcoses are holding public office since they were forced into exile after the 1986 people power uprising that toppled the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. In 1992, Imelda ran for president but placed fifth in a seven-way race. In 1995, she was elected congresswoman in her home province of Leyte. Bongbong and Imee have held key positions at the provincial level and also represented the province in Congress prior to their electoral bids this year. Bongbong has been the second-district congressman from 1992 to 1995 and governor for three terms from 1998 to 2007. He was elected congressman again in 2007. Imee served as the province’s second-district congresswoman while her brother was governor from 1998 to 2007. But holding three high-profile government positions all at the same time is a first for the three Marcoses, who are running under the Nacionalista Party-Kilusang Bagong Lipunan banner. In an interview with GMANews.TV last April, Imelda said that should she and her children win, it’s because Filipinos still “miss" the Marcoses and clamor for their return. [See: Imelda Marcos and her road to vindication] She added that she is not afraid of Sen. Benigno Aquino III, scion of the Aquinos who have fought the Marcoses at the height of their power, should he win the presidency. GMA’s partial and unofficial results indicate that Aquino is leading the presidential race while Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., whom the Marcoses supported, ranked third. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV