Photo/Illutration Part of the expansive shoes collection of Imelda Marcos, the Philippine's former first lady, at the Marikina Shoe Museum in Marikina, near Metropolitan Manila, in July 2019 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Mention the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and his wife, Imelda, immediately comes to mind.

She is forever associated with her shoes, more than 1,000 pairs of which she left behind when she and her husband fled the presidential Malacanang Palace amid a political upheaval in February 1986.

The global media reported her jaw-dropping collection of footwear as a symbol of the despotic couple's exploitation.

Demonstrators started that political upheaval, known as the People Power Revolution. They took to the streets to protest the rampant corruption of the Marcos regime and the latter's attempts to suppress dissent by imposing martial law.

The Marcoses had no choice but to flee to the United States.

In light of such history, the results of the latest Filipino presidential election were utterly astonishing.

The namesake son of former President Marcos appeared to have won by a landslide, leading his rival by more than double the votes.

The old saying "notoriety is better than obscurity" comes to mind. According to a recent article in The Asahi Shimbun, however, this is more a case of the Marcos family name being recognized in the Philippines as a "prestige brand."

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. apparently extolled his father on YouTube, showing the infrastructure built in the old Marcos time.

The Philippines is said to have many young voters, with people aged 18 to 41 making up 56 percent of the total.

This group knows only Filipino politics under a democratic system, which probably has left the impression of it being ineffectual and not conducive to prosperity.

The younger Marcos will follow the policy line of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose authoritarian ways are apparently appreciated in the Philippines as a sign of a "strong president" who preserves public order at home.

Freedom and democracy are important, but they are not enough. And that is the Filipino reality that is too grave to be called a "lesson."

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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