In May 2022, if there is a southeast Asian hot search ranking in the international political world, then Marcos Jr., the son of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, will definitely rank first in the Philippine presidential election.
On May 25, the Philippine Congress officially confirmed the victory of Ferdinand Romuldez Marcos (known as "Little Marcos" to distinguish himself from the old president) in the presidential election held that month. His running mate, Sarah Zimmerman Duterte-Kabu, the eldest daughter of current President Duterte, won the vice presidency. According to the procedure, Marcos will be formally sworn in on June 30, so that the son of the old President Marcos and the daughter of the current President Duterte, the two "second generation of presidents", will join forces to open a new scene in Philippine politics in the next six years.
Marcos Jr., 64, comes from a political family, and his father, Marcos Sr., was president of the Philippines for 20 years until he was ousted in 1986 and his family was forced into exile in the United States; His mother, Imelda, known as the "Iron Butterfly of the Philippines", has been elected to the House of Representatives many times, and has also run for president, and her luxurious life is especially shocking with thousands of pairs of precious shoes... For decades, the elder Marcos and his wife have been a controversial figure in the Philippines, so their family has made a comeback in the political arena this time, and the world has not only paid attention to the little Bits and Pieces of Masco's own Internet celebrity label, but also the history of the Marcos family, the Chinese blood, the early contacts with China, and even the kissing ceremony of Chairman Mao Zedong when he met with Mrs. Marcos in 1974, etc., all of which have returned to the public eye.
Po Wai Church in Laoag is a World Heritage Site and resembles a pyramid. In order to adapt to the environment of earthquakes and typhoons in the Philippines, its bell towers were built separately. The bell tower resembles a Chinese-style pagoda, which is speculated to be related to the participation of Chinese craftsmen in construction, which is a bit of an "Asian-European mix-and-match"
There are many stories in small towns
In fact, many people in China who like to travel to Southeast Asia have been to the hometown and birthplace of the Marcos family , the province of Ilocos do Norte, the capital of which is called Laoag, which has another more well-known name called "Laoag".
Located at the northwestern tip of the Philippine island of Luzon, bordering the South China Sea to the west, Laoag has a long coastline
Located in Laoag, at the northwestern tip of Luzon Island, about 487 kilometers from Manila, it is only a 45-minute flight from Taiwan and only two hours from Guangzhou. Bordered by the South China Sea to the west, this Spanish-inspired town is surrounded by verdant wilderness, perfect for lounging and relaxing. The most important thing is that flying to spend a weekend is not expensive, so it attracts many travelers who like to travel to the island.
The ancient city of Vigan is also a World Heritage Site. The Spaniards first occupied the Philippines 500 years ago, and have since emigrated en masse, and there are still a large number of Spanish-style buildings in the city today. Wandering around in a horse-drawn carriage is like walking through a picture of history
Walking through the scattered ancient cities and cobbled streets near Laoag, you will find that, unlike the ordinary life of the townspeople, this is a place where many "stories" are hidden, and the protagonist of the story is naturally the discredited old Marcos and his beautiful wife from the beauty pageant, that is, the parents of the little Marcos.
Very popular classic cars travel through the ancient city. In the Philippines, it is a fun experience to travel with citizens in a flowery "TUTU" car
It is said that filipinos once said that "the province of Ilocos Norte is the land of the Marcos family." "As the place where the old horse family originated and went to the peak of power in the Philippines, in addition to the Spanish-style churches that can be seen everywhere, there are many buildings related to the old horse, such as the Marcos National University named after it. You can sit in the presidential palace built by the old horse couple with precious wood, or you can live in the luxurious manor house where they gave their eldest daughter Amy a dowry, facing the sea in a daze... This Spanish-style manor, which covers an area of thousands of acres, was later confiscated due to the corruption of the old horse, and the manor was nationalized and sold to Hong Kong, turning it into the most advanced five-star resort hotel in north Luzon, and I and other ordinary people also had the opportunity to stay in it.
Nestled in a forested forest and facing a lake, the old Marcos Holiday Palace is a two-storey Spanish-style building with an 18-hole golf course designed by a master
In 1965, Marcos Sr. was elected the sixth president of the Philippines, until he was ousted from office in 1986 due to electoral fraud, etc., and the family was forced into exile in the United States. In 1989, the elder Ma ke died in Hawaii, and it was not until the fourth year after his death that his body was allowed to be transported back to his hometown and buried in the cemetery of the Marcos family. The former glory of the Marcos family has gradually disappeared into the dust of history.
Spacious living room of the palace. The furniture, floors and stairs in the palace are all made of precious wood. The round table in the living room, which is two meters in diameter, is made of a complete piece of wood
The fate of the small city in the hometown and the Marcos family is probably also a glory and a loss. Walking on the streets of Laoag, you seem to be able to faintly feel a sense of loneliness after the aura has faded, especially the presidential holiday palace where people go to the empty building and the glory has darkened, and even more makes people feel that the glory and wealth are sometimes like clouds of smoke - watching him rise up the Zhu Lou, watching him feast on guests, watching him collapse the building...
This small lattice window has a very Southeast Asian atmosphere. The windows of the palace are inlaid with polished shell pieces that retain light, but the interior is completely invisible from the outside
When the comeback comes
In 1991, the Marcos family returned to the Philippines in response to corruption lawsuits, and Pony and his mother took the opportunity to re-emerge from the political scene. To some surprise, for Pony, his father's past has not become a shameful negative asset, but a political legacy that he has fully embraced.
Perhaps times are different, in the years when even the president of the United States has "ruled the country with Twitter", the former "prince in exile" is also active on social platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc., with millions of followers. He has been studying abroad since the age of 13, and he knows how to make full use of social platforms to interact with supporters, share his daily life with his family, and even "funny" funny, so that supporters frequently appear and try to create their own impression of being close to the people.
The best sea-view hotel in the North Luzon region, designed by the old Marcos to invite famous artists to give to his daughter when she married, has more than 300 rooms for the DIGNITARIES of heads of state
Laoag is rich in laterite, so the entire estate is built of laterite bricks, warm in winter and cool in summer, breathable and ventilated. The rooms have private terraces with facades covered with gorgeous bougainvillea
In 2015, Pony publicly apologized for what his father had done during his lifetime, but also highlighted the contributions he had made to the Philippines. He made all kinds of preparations, and the following year he threw himself into the election of vice president, but eventually lost to his opponents and lost the opportunity to assist the current president Duterte.
6 years passed, the time entered 2022, and the father also started a political career from his hometown, this time accumulating strength and starting again, and finally succeeded in promoting from "second generation president" to "second generation president" by absolute superiority, and Duterte's daughter was elected vice president. The ancients clouded, ten years to sharpen a sword. It took Pony 20 years to take the presidency, and now he is 64 years old.
The manor house is built in the Spanish style that Marcos liked, with a long cloister that shades the sun and rain. The Hong Kong TV series "Hotel Storm" was filmed here, and some hotel employees will also say something in Cantonese just like a real version of "Family Glory", and on the day of The Little Masco's debut, the "second season" will be staged. Only this season, can the pony go step by step? Did he, as others have said, "Filipinos want his father to be president and his son to be just a container"? Will his hometown usher in more development opportunities because of the popularity of this family?
For China, which is separated by a sea, what is more important is that in the current complex international political trend, where will China-Philippines relations go?
Just a few days ago, the Chinese leader borrowed a famous Filipino saying as a message - "I don't know the way to come, I can't go far." Xiao Ma, only by not forgetting the original intention and grasping the general trend can we write a good article on Sino-Philippine friendship in the new era, draw a blueprint for Sino-Philippine friendly cooperation to the end, and promote bilateral relations toward a better future.
There are 24 giant buttresses on both sides and at the rear of the church, which is designed to stabilize the main body of the church in the event of a violent earthquake. The church has stood for more than 300 years
The Longwall Line, which has lost its popularity in the ranking of travel destinations over the years, may be flattened by the popularity of the Marcos family
Source | Yangcheng Evening News Yangcheng Pie
Text/Figure | Su Biqing
Editor-in-charge | Cool