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Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
President since June 2022· Leader
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
Philippine president since June 2022 and son of the dictator ousted in 1986; he swung Manila back toward the United States.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Known as 'Bongbong', he is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled 1965–86, imposed martial law and fled after the People Power revolt. He won a 2022 landslide with Sara Duterte as running mate. He reversed Rodrigo Duterte's China tilt, opening four more bases to US forces and publicizing Chinese harassment at sea. His Duterte alliance collapsed: Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in 2025 on an International Criminal Court warrant, and a flood-control corruption scandal hit Marcos allies. His single six-year term ends in 2028.
Why it matters
His pivot put the Philippines at the center of US strategy toward China, giving US forces access to sites facing Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Record
Official election results, the 2023 US–Philippine base-access announcements, ICC case records, and Pulse Asia and SWS polls, which put his approval near 30% in mid-2026.
What to watch
Disputed: critics say the family whitewashes martial-law abuses; courts have ruled some Marcos wealth ill-gotten, and recovery cases continue. The Marcoses deny wrongdoing.
Connections (2)
▸Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads PhilippinesFact
The relationship
Marcos governs under a single six-year term that ends in June 2028. He restored close US ties and broke with the Duterte family, his former allies, but the 2025–26 flood-control corruption scandal, which reached his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, dragged his approval near 30%.
Since when and why
Manila; elected May 9, 2022 with about 31 million votes (59%); inaugurated June 30, 2022.
How we know
Commission on Elections results, Pulse Asia and SWS surveys, and charges filed in the flood-control cases.
What to watch
Whether impeachment complaints against him and against Vice President Sara Duterte go anywhere, and who inherits his pro-US policy in 2028.
▸Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushes back on China in South China Sea disputesFact
The relationship
Marcos replaced quiet diplomacy with publicity: coast guard ships carry journalists and release videos of Chinese water cannon and rammings. He signed a 2024 law defining Philippine maritime zones, keeps resupplying the grounded outpost at Second Thomas Shoal, and leans on US and Japanese backing. Clashes continued into July 2026.
Since when and why
Mainly Second Thomas and Scarborough shoals, since 2023; Maritime Zones Act signed November 8, 2024; coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriela leads the publicity.
How we know
Philippine Coast Guard footage, Chinese Coast Guard statements giving rival accounts, and the Maritime Zones Act.
What to watch
Disputed: Beijing says Manila provokes it with US backing; Manila says it defends its legal rights. Whether publicity deters China or raises risk is debated.