𝗚𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 101: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Written by Cenon Pineda | Graphics by Hannah Aurea Medina | Layout by Jayane Leslie Feliciano

“Parehas kayo ng tatay mo” - the notion of being compared to one's father, is a sentiment most would try to avoid. It feels like a compliment, but also a well-meaning attempt to make you know that your life's script was long planned out before you were even born. This is a pattern that extends all the way to Malacañang, there's an undpoken expectation, to be an exact carbon copy of their predecessor, because why change a winning formula right? Amidst all the sweet talk of unity and change, it's often seen especially in the present that the real goal is to ensure that the family name continues to shine, no matter how dark and gory they may have done in the past.

Have you ever heard of someone denoted as the “Son of a Dictator”?

Bong? Bong Revilla? hmm, Doesn't sound right…

Alas, I got it Bongbong Marcos!

However, with such a reputation how did he come to be the president of the nation? According to GMA News Networks' heatmap last updated as of May 13, 2022 he was able garner an amassing 31, 104, 175 votes during the national election. With how the numbers and the masses seem to swerve in his favor, he appears himself to be quite the amazing and talented person, right?

How did he do it you may ask? How do you convince millions of people that you're not just a spitting image of your father - an image that involves questionable governance, human rights violations, and allegations of plunder?

Well, worry not it's totally doable – you just have to play it smart. With the proper mixture of strategic silence, selective nostalgia, and a heavy dose of social media magic, you too can separate yourself from your father's legacy while reaping the gifts of the family name. After all, who needs dramatic confrontations, going to courts, heartfelt apologies, or facing the complicated truths of history? Why the extra effort, when you can just simply move on and smile…

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 1: 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁

Bongbong Marcos has perfectly mastered this tactic with uncanny precision. Carefully positioning such a heinous era as a time of order, stability, and growth. Forget about the human rights violations, corruption of nation's wealth, or the brutal era of Martial law – those parts can be left to the trash. Instead, divert the focus on the roads, bridges, and other projects that were put up during the Marcos regime, which many still associate with economic development.

“I was there for 44 years, and of those 44 years, the first half was during the ‘golden era’ of infrastructure development under your father, Mr. President,” Manuel Bonoan secretary of the Department of Work and Highways stated.

The trick here is to simply reframe the narrative; reframe the past – do it in a way that attracts for a collective longing for simpler times. And why not? When the public's short-term memory is the perfect ally, why not manipulate it to your advantage? Selective nostalgia here was the trick up his sleeve, distracting the masses from the uncomfortable truth and highlighting none other than the soft-hearted Filipinos’ wishes for nostalgic reminiscence. All of this while still maintaining the veneer of a “golden age” that's only remembered by a fraction of the population.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 2: 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁; 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁

Well, it is simple really when your father was one of the most controversial presidents in history, addressing what happened can put you in a pickle. So what groundbreaking scheme does the tactical son do to calm the raging tides? Dun dun dun – Simply ignore it, why talk about nonsense when you can drive critiques away by planning for the future while campaigning for a new nation? Who needs to own up to mistakes when you can just promise them for a second chance on change that never seems to materialize?

It's a calculated move: the longer you deflect it, the more you allow the public to fill the lapses with their own assumptions. Silence becomes a tool - an intentional strategy to sidestep miserable moments and keep everyone distracted with ideas of what could be instead of what was.

“(N)ot all perspectives have the same weight and deserve the same validation,” Anakbayan Ilocos, expressed, pointing out that the voices of those victimized by Marcos’s regime “hold more weight.”

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 3: 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆…

Let's take a look at how he plays his cards, a change of pace, seemingly swifting to another direction while still carrying the same brand of products with an entirely different packaging. But of course, all the unsavory details are conveniently left out of this rebranding effort. In this version of history, his father's regime, was one of progress, a sort of landmark which can never be replicated by none other… it is only up to the prince to continue the vision of the “unjustly” fallen king. It's as if the ugly parts of the Marcos Legacy never happened, and the people are asked to simply cooperate, play fool, and believe that the shiny, sanitized, and glossy revisionism of what happened is the real story.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 4: 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨?)

“Noong panahon namin mas mataas ang peso sa dolyar”

A single swipe and scroll on the internet can change the perception of other people, and our hero knows this all too well. Alas, he uses this as a method to create a more soothing and comforting persona. With Facebook posts and Tiktok videos, he's able to reveal a golden image of someone that has been far beyond the past. Gone are the days of public speeches, today is merely a game fabricated by nonsensical tinkering or reality of how to make him kind and considerate, all in the best possible light.

Rather than answering difficult questions or face public scrutiny, he has manifested a curated idea that he truly is not his father. After all, who needs facts when you can rely on viral posts and catchy slogans to manipulate the public to your favor?

The value of the peso against the dollar was already declining under the Marcos administration, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showing the monthly peso-dollar exchange rates from 1945 onwards.

“Contrary to the claim, the Philippine peso never achieved the P1 to $1 exchange rate during the Marcos years. According to BSP data, the average exchange rate was at P2 per dollar from 1945 to 1959, the highest level the Philippine peso.” Rappler stated in an article regarding the fact checking of Peso to Dollar trade during the Marcos Regime.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 5: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁

At the end of the day, actions speak louder than words, but if you want to complete all these steps why bother with action? Instead, promise everything – all that you could see under the sun like economic recovery and poverty alleviation. It's simple really, swear on your name and then just let it be, destiny would decide if what you vowed to do was going to come true. The longer you shout for change, the more they forget why they were upset in the first place.

By focusing on the future - without specifying how that future will be shaped, he creates the illusion of progress without actually doing anything to bring it about. As long as the flurry of promises keeps on coming and the hope for change persists, it doesn't really matter that nothing has changed. It's a political tactic that works well when your legacy is built on misdirection, evasion, and empty words.

“So, this behavioral modification system works in politics and creates a bandwagon effect: if you hear twenty-five Facebook accounts saying that they love Duterte, it sways you slightly. It’s death by a thousand cuts—of your beliefs, your system, your democracy. For example, you see this from the way that historical revisionism of [former Philippine president] Marcos has happened. Perceptions of Marcos didn’t just jump from “Marcos is bad” to “Marcos is good” —it’s been a gradual chipping away, and slowly perceptions shifted to “Marcos is good.” And so that’s what you see happening.” Maria Ressa (Chief Executive Officer of Rappler) stated in an interview in Yale Jackson Institute on March of 2020.

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸

Bongbong Marcos' strategy of making millions believe he is not his father lies in a simple act: making them forget history-or better yet, not know it at all. With a carefully curated public persona, selective memory, and a dash of good old-fashioned political tactics, he has managed to do pretty much the same playbook as that used by his father. The tricks may have changed, but the results are the same if not better-hatch promises: few fillings, and a carefully crafted narrative ignoring the past. It's a familiar formula which still works because the public is often all too________o forget.