The son and namesake of late Philippines' dictator Ferdinand Marcos announced that he will run for president in the 2022 national elections.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, popularly known as "Bongbong", made the announcement during the inauguration of his official headquarters in Mandaluyong on Tuesday.
"I am today announcing my intention to run for the presidency of the Philippines in the upcoming May 2022 elections. I will bring that form of unifying leadership back to our country," Marcos said in a short, pre-recorded video aired and streamed on his Facebook page shortly past 3 pm.
"I know that it's this manner of unifying leadership that can lead us through this crisis, get our people safely back to work for all of us to begin to live our lives once again," he continued.
He then urged Filipinos to join him in his bid. "Sama-sama tayong babangon muli [We will recover as one.]"
The younger Marcos has yet to reveal who will be his running mate.
Previously, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) announced its endorsement of Marcos as a presidential candidate in the 2022 national elections.
The KBL is a political party founded by Bongbong's father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In 2016, Marcos vied for the vice presidency but lost to Vice President Leni Robredo.
His family has long sought to rebuild its image and has repeatedly denied allegations it plundered billions of dollars of state wealth when in power, which ended in a 1980s People's Power uprising.
