Marcos heir says will run for Philippines presidency

The son and namesake of the Philippines' former dictator Ferdinand Marcos said Tuesday he will run for president in the 2022 election, as the controversial clan seeks the ultimate political revival.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr -- who has defended President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial drug war and supported the death penalty for traffickers -- declared his candidacy in a video broadcast on Facebook.

"I will bring... unifying leadership back to our country," the 64-year-old scion said, joining a growing field of contenders seeking to replace Duterte.

"Let us bring Filipinos back to one another in service of our country, facing the crisis and the challenges of the future together."

A tilt for the country's highest office comes after Marcos Jr's failed bid for the vice presidency in 2016, which he narrowly lost to Leni Robredo.

Losing the election was a blow for the Marcos family, which had gone into exile in the United States after the patriarch's humiliating downfall in 1986.

He and his wife Imelda were accused of massive corruption while in power.

Marcos Jr was in second place behind Duterte's daughter, Sara, in a recent PulseAsia Research survey of voter preference for president, though she has denied plans to run.

Boxing great Manny Pacquiao and celebrity mayor Francisco Domagoso have confirmed they will seek the top job.

- 'Disregard and contempt -

If Marcos Jr's presidential bid succeeds, it would cap a remarkable political comeback since a popular uprising toppled his father and chased the family into exile in the United States.

After they were allowed to return to the Philippines, members of the family have held a number of prominent political posts.

Marcos Jr served as a senator from 2010 to 2016, and his mother Imelda has said she dreams of him becoming the country's leader.

The matriarch herself served three straight terms in the lower House of Representatives before being succeeded by her nephew.

Marcos Jr's sister Imee is a senator.

But the son of a dictator accused of bloody repression and corruption remains one of the most polarising politicians in the Philippines.

Marcos Jr has tried to defend his father's rule by citing economic growth, and minimised the human rights abuses during that regime.

He has also claimed he was too young to shoulder any responsibility, but critics point out that he was governor of the Marcos family's home province from 1983 to 1986.

News of his presidential candidacy was met with swift condemnation from his opponents.

An anti-Marcos coalition described it as "a brazen show of disregard and contempt for the thousands of Filipinos killed, disappeared, tortured, displaced and violated" by his father's regime.

- 'Historic vindication' -

The Marcos family sees an opportunity to complete its "rehabilitation", political analyst Richard Heydarian told AFP.

They "are calculating that there are many never-again-to-Marcos voters there but there are even more people who want to move forward... from the current crisis, corruption scandals and incompetence that they see under the Dutertes," he said.

Imelda Marcos wants a "moment of historic vindication" by appearing once more on the Malacanang presidential palace balcony, Heydarian added.

Duterte is an ally of the Marcos family, and his election win in 2016 gave them a boost.

His government gave the ex-dictator's remains a hero's burial and publicly floated the idea of winding down the hunt for his hidden wealth.

Analysts predict a possible Marcos Jr-Sara Duterte alliance for the 2022 election, which they say would be a formidable combination.

The Philippines' election season kicked off Friday as celebrities and political scions flocked to the offices of the elections commission to file their nominations.