The only son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos officially threw his hat into the ring for the Philippine presidency on Wednesday (October 6), further shaking up an already polarised political landscape ahead of the 2022 elections.

Marcos, who was accompanied by his wife and two sons, arrived at the registration without fanfare to file his candidacy papers, amid a protest action in the capital by activists and victims of human rights abuses under his father's 20-year rule.

As the third contestant to sign up for the May 2022 presidential election, Marcos repeated he would be a "unifying" leader to help the Philippines tackle the twin crises of a public health emergency and economic slowdown.

Marcos' presidential run would be a big step in a country of 110 million people where many are still haunted by abuses that took place during martial law under his father, one of the darkest chapters of modern Philippine history.

Ahead of his filing, dozens of protesters rallied outside the Commission on Human Rights building, some burning pictures of the late ruler, as they denounced his presidential bid and vowed to frustrate his efforts to return the family to power.

The Marcos family has long sought to rebuild its image and has repeatedly denied allegations that it plundered billions of dollars of state wealth while in power.

Source: Reuters