Emotions run high as Philippine voters head to the polls

Record ID: 1671367

  • Title: Emotions run high as Philippine voters head to the polls
  • Date: 3rd May 2022
  • Summary: MOBILE PHONE SCREEN SHOWING MARCOS' FACEBOOK GROUP
  • Embargoed: 17th May 2022 07:04
  • Keywords: "Bongbong" Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Leni Robredo Philippines campaign election president presidential election vote
  • Location: MANILA, PAMPANGA PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES
  • City: MANILA, PAMPANGA PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA004515802052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Manila resident Gloria Molina was 18 years old when she cast her first ballot in a presidential election and the upcoming May 9 vote would will be her seventh.
    "The one who I want to vote for in this coming election is Vice President Leni Robredo. The reason I want to vote for her is because she is compassionate, God-fearing, eager to help and caring," the local store owner told Reuters. "Of all the presidents I have seen in my 70 years of age, and I've seen a lot of presidents, she is the only one who really goes around and asks the people what their needs are."
    Molina is one of more than 67 million Filipinos who have registered to vote in the upcoming Philippine elections, which historically have a high turnout. Even though support for the 56-year-old incumbent vice president is high, a recent opinion poll showed Robredo faces an uphill battle in the important race, with her closest rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr maintaining a wide lead ahead.
    Support for Marcos, the son and namesake of the ousted dictator who ruled the Philippines for two decades, remained at 56% ahead of next week's ballot, while Robredo slipped to 23% from 24% a month ago in the Pulse Asia surveys released on Monday (May 2).
    While several voters in Manila said they preferred Robredo for her anti-corruption platforms, 64-year-old Marcos remained popular with many younger people who were born after his father's dictatorship and believed the former governor, congressman and senator could end poverty in the Southeast Asian nation.
    Since returning to the Philippines in 1991 from exile after his father's overthrow, the Marcos family has sought to rebuild an image tainted by the elder Marcos' often brutal rule and the plunder of billions of dollars of wealth. Known as "Bongbong", Marcos Jr. claims to offer a "unifying" brand of leadership. Political observers have attributed his lead in polls to a strong presence on social media, one that critics say is attempting to rewrite the family's controversial history.
    As part of his campaign strategy, Marcos has attended just one of four presidential debates since campaigning for the May 9 election began, compared to Robredo's three. Marcos's ducking of debates has been criticised by opponents and academic groups, who say the public is being denied the opportunity to see all candidates challenged and scrutinised. Even so, many young Filipinos were enamoured by Marcos, retired political science professor Temario Rivera said.
    "One reason why Marcos Jr. is leading the polls now, if we are of course to base it on the latest surveys, is I think they have succeeded, they have the advantage of crafting an appealing narrative, which we know distorts the historical fact, and yet has somehow appealed to many voters," he said.
    "There's a lot of emotions involved and that is why the narratives you are most comfortable with normally are decisive."
    (Production: Adrian Portugal, Lorenzo Lesaba, Peter Blaza, Jacinta Goh)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains computer game or software screenshots. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing this clip.
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