Episode 165 – The 2022 Philippine Presidential Election

In less than two weeks, Filipinos across the Philippines and dual citizens around the world will go to the polls to elect a new president.  This is a very important election for the Philippines and will affect those of us in the diaspora tremendously.  We at TFAL want to make sure you all know the basic information about the election.

Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr., aka BBM, remains the front-runner ahead of current Vice President Leni Robredo in national polls. There are many people running for president, but these two stand above the rest.  Marcos is the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who during his martial law regime tortured and murdered thousands of Filipinos. Critics accuse candidate Marcos of using social media and misinformation to target young voters, many of whom have no memory of life under his father’s rule. While Robredo is riding a recent wave of popularity.

In this episode, we talk to Rappler journalist Michelle Abad about the elections, the current candidates and issues, as well as why Bong Bong Marcos continues to be popular despite the horrific acts in the hands of his family.  We also discuss why this election is so important to Filipino Americans and why we need to pay attention to it.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, find us on Mixcloud or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Who is your family supporting?  Who would you support?  Let us know by leaving a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or emailing us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com!