Ferdinand Marcos

"I think the biggest lesson which we have always emphasized is that it's not enough that you overthrow a dictator."

In a soft-ball interview with his goddaughter, the new Philippine leader has defended his family's controversial legacy.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has proclaimed September 12 a one-off holiday in his family’s home province of Ilocos Norte.

Activists are keen to push back against propaganda that has portrayed the late dictator's reign as a "golden era."

Many of the Filipinos who voted for Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had grown tired of corrupt officials, slow progress, and broken promises.

The petition claims that the son of the former dictator should have been barred from the election due to a past conviction for tax evasion.

Colmenares wants to prevent the Philippines from returning to the dark times of the Marcos dictatorship.

The accounts are part of the politician's well-oiled machinery of social media manipulation.

Opponents of the Marcos clan have filed a number of petitions seeking to disqualify Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos from the May election.

They fear that should Ferdinand Marcos Jr. win the presidency it could lead to a white-washing of the grave abuses and extreme corruption of the Marcos dictatorship.

With Bongbong entering the race, and the Dutertes floating around the edges, the Philippine presidential election is stirring up dark memories.