EDITORIAL - Bongbong's political run

Following in the footsteps of his father, who once ruled the country with an iron fist, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is reported to be gunning for a higher position in next year's national elections.

The son of the late dictator, who sent the country to the gallows when he declared the Martial Law during his 20 years of despotic regime, is setting his sights on the vice presidency or the Senate.

But the current congressman of Ilocos Norte admitted that he is still assessing the country's political situation before he can decide on his next political move. However, he said he is now crisscrossing the country to get the pulse of the masses on whether he should run for higher position.

Part of his barnstorming the countryside was his visit the other day to Cebu, where he was the keynote speaker of the Jaycees Cebu Incorporated gathering. In Mandaue City, where he told reporters about his political ambitions, Marcos met with Mayor Jonas Cortes, whose late father, former mayor Demetrio Cortes Jr. is an old ally of the deposed president.

The Marcoses have reclaimed their lost political presence in the country. Since their return from exile in the United States following the first EDSA Revolution, they slowly crept into the political scene. Their influence in the north, especially the Ilocos Region, remains solid.

 Despite a string of criminal cases filed against her for graft during her husband's corrupt regime, Imelda Marcos was never sent to prison. Instead of spending time behind bars, the former first lady can still be seen in social functions, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.

One by one, the cases against the Marcoses were junked. And it's only a matter of time before they can reclaim all that's being taken from them.

We can only blame the government's lack of political will in going after the Marcoses. Three administrations had already passed and the present one is about to end, yet the masses still wonder how those involved in the country's pillage during the so-called conjugal dictatorship remain scot-free.

Now Bongbong is aiming for a higher position, a move that is undoubtedly aimed at further cementing Marcos' political clout in the country.