A dictator’s son, an actor-turned-mayor, and a champion boxer: an eclectic mix of personalities declared this month that they would compete to become the Philippine’s next president.
More than 60 million Filipinos will go to the polls to decide who should replace the populist leader Rodrigo Duterte, who is nearing the end of his six-year term limit.
The dictator’s son is Bongbong Marcos. Who I was at school with, at Worth.
Not that we knew each other, I was junior school at the time he was senior. He never has known of my existence and I only knew of his when I walked around the corner one day to see Ferdie and Imelda and their vast limo arriving to take him for a weekend out of the place.
So, no actual link and all that. But clearly the old school tie is a sufficient recommendation for running a nation. After all, that’s how we English do it isn’t it?
What would be fun to know is whether there are any ageing English Catholics hanging around the edge of his campaign looking for the odd government granted monopoly etc. Just how strongly did that education stick?
Did he own lots of shoes ?
Great! Can you just see the wokist TV newsreaders trying to avoid saying the first name! 🙂
Who I was at school with, at Worth.
What’s his English like?
What’s “Worth”?
Just reading the king of swaziland was at sherborne, presumably great preparation for toasting uppity scrotes.
Is he fond of BungaBunga?
TtC, my mother in law is Filipino so we have an Uncle Bing. You get used to it!
Maybe I’ll ask her what BongBong’s chances are. Or given the chance it might spark a torrent of abuse, maybe not.
Do you think we haven’t noticed?
It’s “With WHOM I was at school!”
Perseverance.
TtC, I wonder if BongBong’s aunt also had a parrot.
Philipinos vote for a man they’ve heard of. Just like in the US, name recognition trumps actual policies. Which is why my money is on the boxer, Whatshisname.
@dearieme – public school for left footers.
Near Turners Hill?
Long walk to the Cowdray.
I can just see Tim as a Basil Seal figure. Finance Minister and general factotum to his old school chum.
What’s the Philippine equivalent of a seat in the HoL?
@jonathan Wiki says it’d be Senator.
“What’s the Philippine equivalent of a seat in the HoL?”
Divan? Sofa? Sun lounger?
@ Grikath. Hmm, Senator-For-Life Tim Worstall? Spud would be incandescent….
“Can you just see the wokist TV newsreaders trying to avoid saying the first name”
They’d just invent some suitable ethnic pronunciation of it – bongbong pronounced ‘bow-ung bow-ung’ for example.
I asked my driver was he was called by Bong?
He told me; because my brother is Bing. which is fair enough.
The politician I do love is “Jejomar” Binay, as in ‘Jesus Joseph Mary’ Binay; a man truly blessed.
Of course, there’s nothing new under the sun so, similarly, the head of state of Centrafrique, Jean-Bédel Bokassa was so named because of the abbreviation for Jean-Baptiste de la Salle in his parents’ calendar.
@Jim
Shades of Pamela Stevenson doing Jan Lemming pronouncing “Guerilla”
The politician I do love is “Jejomar” Binay, as in ‘Jesus Joseph Mary’ Binay; a man truly blessed.
Whatever happened to the wee donkey?
Manny Pacquiao is the most likely candidate to attract those fed up with corruption: he is known to fight clean and is already possessed of a fortune estimated at over $200m.
However Bongbong Marcos is just about as famous and inherits a massive amount of support.
Younger readers may be unaware that Ferdinand Marcos was first elected on an anti-corruption platform and that, initially at least, he was less corrupt than his predecessor and opponents.