Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his first address to the nation on Monday in the wake of his landslide election victory, but he is paralyzed by history as the son of a ousted dictator and horrendous economic headwinds.

More than 20,000 police, riot control troops and military personnel have been deployed to the gun-banning metropolitan Manila to provide an evening ceremony ahead of a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives.

About 5,000 flag-wielding protesters were allowed to march until noon along the main road away from Congress. They put forward a range of demands, from government aid and fuel subsidies as the cost of living soared, to justice for human rights victims under Marcos Jr.’s father, the late dictator who was ousted in a 1986 uprising. “People power”.

They asked Marcos Jr. it outlined a clear roadmap for the economic hardship caused by the two-year lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and the global fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Mark Jr. must realize that he is no longer in the thick of the election campaign, where he could refuse to participate in debates and rely on empty phrases and superficial slogans,” Akbayan’s left-wing group said. “People demand clarity of vision and purpose for action.”

Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez said last week that Marcos Jr.

Rodriguez said the president will lay out plans to prepare the country for a looming food crisis, which prompted him to temporarily become agriculture secretary, and to safely resume face-to-face classes starting next month.

Mark Jr has received over 31 million votes out of over 55 million votes cast in the May 9th election – a stunning political turnaround and a major victory that will earn him political capital as he faces huge challenges as well as doubts stemming from your father’s decision . reputation. This was the first victory for a majority president in the Philippines in decades.

His allies also heavily dominated both houses of Congress in the elections: his cousin, Representative Martin Romualdez, was elected Speaker of the House, and another close ally, Juan Miguel Subiri, Senate President on Monday.

With the huge internal challenges he faces and the historical baggage that haunts him, Marcos Jr. is one of the most difficult leaders in the recent history of the country. His huge electoral mandate could be undermined if people don’t see significant relief from their hardships under his rule, University of the Philippines professor Jean Franco said.

“I’m not sure how long the other 31 million will stay with Marcos Jr., especially if the economic crisis continues,” Franco said, adding that the new president lacks the tough populist image that kept the ratings up. his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, is tall.

Mark Jr.’s father was overthrown by a largely peaceful People Power uprising in 1986 and died in 1989 while in exile in Hawaii without admitting to wrongdoing, including accusations that he, his family, and associates accumulated approximately 5 to 10 billion dollars. while in the office.

A Hawaiian court later found the elderly Marcos guilty of human rights violations and awarded $2 billion to more than 9,000 Filipinos who sued him for torture, imprisonment, extrajudicial executions and disappearances.

But Marcos Jr., a former governor, deputy and senator, has refused to acknowledge the massive human rights violations and corruption that have marred his father’s government.

The Philippines is among the Asian countries hardest hit by the two-year-old pandemic after more than 60,000 people died and prolonged lockdowns sent the economy into the worst 2020 recession since World War II and exacerbated the country’s poverty, unemployment, hunger and indebtedness. .

As the pandemic eased earlier this year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fueled global inflation and raised fears of food and oil shortages.

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Associated Press journalists Joel Kalupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

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