Philippines

As soon as the Supreme Court Justice will swear in the new president of the republic, the Duterte regime will finally come to an end. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr., the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is leading the unofficial count and more likely to be the President-elect of the Philippines. But will Marcos Jr. remain a president for long?

With the next generation from the Marcos and the Duterte families vying to lead the country in the Philippine’s upcoming election, what is it in the nation’s history and society that has allowed these abrasive and autocratic political dynasties to continue?  

A 4-page comic on the theme of Philippine Election 2022 by @chonggo entitled "A New Nightmare" that carries the message "Vote wisely".

Isang 4 na pahinang komiks sa tema ng Halalan sa Pilipinas 2022 ni @chonggo na pinamagatang "Panibagong Bangungot" na may dalang mensaheng "Maging mulat sa pagboto".

The road to presidency of the late dictator’s son is built on a campaign that embraces the influencer culture of good vibes and toxic positivity while evading demands for accountability. 

Almost two years since the Philippines implemented lockdown measures to curb COVID-19 infections, some schools in the country have resumed face-to-face classes. In the capital Manila, however, physical classes in school due to recommence in January was suspended because of surging cases in late 2021. Most are the Omicron variant, which now brings total cases to over three million and more than 50,000 deaths.   

The Philippines has seen increasing storms and typhoons cause havoc with more frequency, however, some groups of people are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than others. Though the climate crisis is a human rights issue, a whole-of-government approach is still needed to address ongoing problems left behind by limited relief packages, slow responses from authorities, and excessive waste.

Elections in the Philippines is a time of alliances, pundits, politicking within and across party lines. A range of candidates have put themselves forward for the upcoming 2022 elections, though their agendas and positions may still be too cloudy for voters to make a clear bet. Persistent problems around politics are present, although reform via the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is slowly taking place. There’s still plenty of time ahead for unpredictability, by prospective candidates and the voting population.