Protest in Manila as Dictator's Son Poised to Win Philippine Presidency

Demonstrators gathered outside the Manila offices of the Commission on Elections on May 10, protesting its alleged failure to ensure a “clean and democratic” process as Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos was poised to become Philippine president.

SAKA, an “alliance of art, cultural and knowledge workers,” posted footage of the crowd outside the Palacio del Gobernador, which houses the Commission on Elections, or COMELEC.

The group claimed on Instagram that COMELEC had failed to ensure a “clean and democratic” election. Another group, the watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections, reported “persistent election offenses and irregularities” as the country voted on May 9.

The Manila Police Department said that about 400 people took part in the protest.

According to preliminary figures cited by Rappler, with 98 percent of precincts reporting, Marcos, son of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, had over 58 percent of the vote.

COMELEC “brushed aside” allegations that voting machines were “rigged in favor of the presumptive winner of the presidential race,” Rappler said on May 10. Credit: SAKA via Storyful