Former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he is definitely interested in running in the 2022 national elections, but declined to say if he would run for president, vice president or senator.
The son of former President Ferdinand Marcos made the announcement during the “Meet the Press” forum in Intramuros, Manila, on Friday, saying he would also have to consult his family and supporters before finalizing his plans.
Marcos ran for vice president in 2016 but lost to now Vice President Leni Robredo. Marcos filed an election protest against Robredo before the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, but remains unresolved more than halfway through Robredo’s term.
Marcos alleged that the victory of Robredo was marred by election fraud and challenged the election results in 39,221 clustered precincts in 25 provinces and five cities in the country.
Robredo won the vice presidential race by a margin of more than 200,000.
Marcos also sought to ban Smartmatic Corp. from serving as the country’s election service provider amid allegations of fraud and irregularities in past elections.
In an interview, Marcos told his followers to be patient because this is the first time in Philippine history that an election protest has reached this far.
“In the past, presidential and vice presidential candidates who filed an election protest threw in the towel after two years by deciding to run for public office,” he said.
He has vowed to see his election protest to the very end if only to ferret out the truth and to institute meaningful reforms in the electoral system.