Marcos’ ‘confessions’: Philippine president-elect admits to ‘trolls’, needing guidance – and doing it for his parents

A YouTube video shows Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jnr, son of the late dictator, talking of reliance on ‘troll army’ to ‘keep political fortunes alive’

He is also said to have asked former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ‘to guide me through this’ and told his mother, 92, he did it for her ‘and Dad’

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President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, salutes as he visits a monument to remember his father. File photo: AFP

Published: 8:56am, 14 Jun 2022Updated: 12:08pm, 15 Jun 2022

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr has admitted using a “troll army” in his election campaign, asking politicians to help him because he is not prepared for the job, and running for the Philippines’ top position for his parents.

Marcos, 64, son and namesake of a murderous dictator who fled his country in 1986, made each admission separately on various occasions after the May 9 election.

He won with 31 million votes, with his closest rival, vice-president Leni Robredo, getting 14 million. Proclaimed the winner on May 25, Marcos will be inaugurated on June 30.

In a YouTube video last month showing him apparently addressing his campaign staff and social media supporters after his victory, he revealed his use of trolls. It was unclear if Marcos knew he was being recorded or if he had anything to do with the release of the footage.

Asked about the video, Jonathan Ong, a disinformation researcher at the University of Massachusetts in the US, said “it looks like it’s a private event and he’s thanking his social media community page leaders”.