Filipino activists want Marcos son out of presidential race

Human rights groups have asked the Philippine Commission on Elections to disqualify the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos from running for president in next year’s elections

MANILA, Philippines -- Human rights groups asked the Philippine Commission on Elections to disqualify the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos from running for president in next year’s elections, saying he was convicted of tax evasion, could no longer hold public office and kept the damaging details from the public.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s spokesman, Victor Rodriguez, on Wednesday called the petition “propaganda” and said they would address “this predictable nuisance” when they receive a formal copy of it. The issue, which should be resolved by elections commissioners before the May 9 vote, could spark a legal battle that could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

Marcos Jr. registered his candidacy early last month, angering activists who recalled the widespread human rights atrocities and plunder that marked the martial law era under his father, who was toppled in an army-backed “people power” revolt in 1986. The ousted president died in exile in Hawaii three years later without admitting any wrongdoing, including accusations that he and his family amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion while he was in power.

Marcos Jr. has called the allegations against his father “lies.”