BBM - PILIPINAS

Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. was born on September 13, 1957 to then RepresentativeFerdinand E. Marcos and Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez. He studied in Institucion Teresiana and La Salle Greenhills in Manila, where he obtained his kindergarten and elementary education, respectively.

Nicknamed 'Bongbong', Marcos starred in his father's true-to-life story film, Iginuhit ng Tadhana, as himself, along with Vilma Santos as his sister Imee Marcos, Luis Gonzalesas his father and Gloria Romero as his mother.[6] The film was released before the 1965 Philippine Elections in which his father, who was senator at that time, was electedPresident of the Philippines.

In 1970, Marcos was sent to England where he lived and studied in an all-boys Benedictine abbey, Worth School. Thereafter, he pursued his undergraduate degree, graduating with a Special Diploma in Social Studies from Oxford University in England.[7]

Marcos also took up Masters in Business Administration in Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, US. However, he was unable to complete the course because of his election as Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte in 1980.[8]

Vice Governor[edit]

The political career of Bongbong Marcos started with his election as Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte (1980–1983) at the young age of 23. In 1983, he led a group of young Filipino leaders on a 10-day diplomatic mission to China to mark the 10th anniversary ofPhilippine-Chinese relations.[9] Marcos succeeded as Governor of Ilocos Norte (1983–1986) which he served until the People Power Revolution ousted his family from power. He then live in political exile with his family in Hawaii, US.[10]

Congress, 1st term[edit]

Bongbong Marcos is among the first of his family to return to the Philippines in 1991. A year later, he was elected as representativeof the second district of Ilocos Norte (1992–1995).[11] During his term, Marcos was the author of 29 House bills and co-author of 90 more, which includes those that paved the way for the creation of the Department of Energy and the National Youth Commission.[12]He was also instrumental in advancing the cause of cooperatives by devoting most of his Countryside Development Fund (CDF) to organizing the cooperatives of teachers and farmers in his home province.[13][14] In 1995, Marcos ran for a seat in the Philippine Senate but lost.[15]

Governor[edit]

Marcos was again elected as Governor of Ilocos Norte in 1998, running against his father's closest friend and ally, Roque Ablan Jr. He will serve for three consecutive terms ending in 2007.[16] During his tenure, Governor Marcos transformed Ilocos Norte into a first-class province of international acclaim, by showcasing its natural and cultural destinations. He also pioneered the wind power technology that serves as an alternative source of energy in Ilocos Norte and other parts ofLuzon.[17][18][19][20]

Congress, 2nd term[edit]

In 2007, Marcos ran unopposed for the congressional seat previously held by his older sister Imee.[21] He is then appointed as Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. During this term, one of the important pieces of legislation he authored was the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law, or Republic Act No. 9522.[22][23] He also passed the Republic Act No. 9502 (Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act) which was enacted on 2009.[24]

Senate[edit]

Main article: Philippine Senate election, 2010

Main article: Philippine presidential election, 2016

Marcos was elected as Senator in the 2010 Elections, placing seventh overall. He is currently the chairman of the Senate committees on local government and public works. He also chairs the oversight committee on the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Organic Act, the congressional oversight panel on the Special Purpose Vehicle Act, and a select oversight committee on barangay affairs.[25]

In the 15th Congress (2010–2013), Marcos was the author of 34 Senate bills and was co-author of 17 more, 7 of which became Republic Acts. Among them are the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the National Health Insurance Act.[26]

In the 16th Congress (2013–2016), Marcos has authored 52 bills, with one enacted into law. His Senate Bill 1186, which sought the postponement of the 2013 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, later became Republic Act 10632 on October 3, 2013.[27][28]

Marcos has also co-authored 4 Senate bills. One of them, Senate Bill 712, was approved as Republic Act 10645 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.[29]

On November 20, 2009, the KBL forged an alliance with the Nacionalista Party (NP) between Marcos and NP chairman Senator Manny Villar at the Laurel House in Mandaluyong City. Marcos became a guest senatorial candidate of the NP through this alliance.[30] Marcos was later removed as a member by the KBL National Executive Committee on November 23, 2012.[31] As such, the NP broke its alliance with the KBL due to internal conflicts within the party, however Bongbong remained part of the NP senatorial line-up.[30]He was proclaimed as one of the winning senatorial candidates of the 2010 senate elections. He took office on June 30, 2010.

On October 5, 2015, Marcos announced via his website his candidacy for Vice President of the Philippines in the 2016 presidential election stating "I have decided to run for Vice President in the May 2016 elections."[5][32] Marcos is running as an independent candidate.[33] Prior to his announcement, Marcos had declined an invitation by presidential candidate, Vice President Jejomar Binay, to become his running mate.[34] On October 15, presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago confirmed that Marcos would serve as her running mate.[35]

Personal life[edit]

He is married to Louise Cacho Araneta, with 3 sons: Ferdinand Alexander III (born 1994), Joseph Simon (born 1995) and William Vincent (born 1997).