SYDNEY: The landslide victory in the May 9 presidential polls in the Philippines of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator of the same name who was forced to flee the country with his family (that included his young son) in 1986 by a "people power" revolution, throws another spanner into the adage that democracy gives people a voice to choose people to serve them and the nation.

Marcos Jr. was the clear winner in the presidential election on May 9 by a whopping 31,103,761 votes, or 58.74 percent of the votes cast. Never in the political history of the Philippines has a presidential candidate garnered this big number of votes and with a lead over the next ranking candidate, Leni Robredo, by as much as 50 percent in absolute numbers.

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