Philippine presidential election: Son of late President Ferdinand Marcos dominates

Philippine voters cast their ballots for the President at a polling station in Manila on May 9, 2022. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

A total of 37,211 polling stations across the country opened at 6 a.m. local time and are expected to close at 7 p.m. According to statistics, there are about 65.7 million eligible voters. In this election, Filipino voters will also elect the vice president, 12 senators, more than 300 members of the House of Representatives and more than 17,000 local officials.

Presidential candidate, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, will vote at a polling station in his hometown in Ilocos Norte province, northern Luzon island. Meanwhile, his opponent, Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo, 57, will vote in Naga City, Bocol region, southern Luzon island.

Meanwhile, Philippine police said at least eight people were injured in a series of grenade explosions on the night of May 8 in the southern province of Maguindanao, just ahead of the general election. Security forces said four explosions occurred in the town of Datu Unsay and another in the town of Shariff Aguak. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. Authorities are investigating other areas considered security hotspots.

Acting spokesman for the Election Commission, John Rex Laudiangco, declared before the start of the election that “the whole system is running.” The official said the situation in the area was under control and the voting continued as planned.

According to a Pulse Asia survey released on May 2, Mr. Marcos Jr. has a support rate of 56%, a large gap compared to the support rate of 23% for candidate Robredo. However, analysts say that candidate Robredo can still make a surprise because there is still a possibility that voters change their minds at the last minute, and the polls may not fully reflect the support for this candidate.