The world on Monday watched as Filipinos elect a new president, with former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in the lead and Vice President Leni Robredo seeking to pull off a come from behind win.
The only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is poised to headed for a majority win, according to surveys, restoring his family in Malacanang 36 years after a popular revolt forced them into exile.
Vice President Robredo is seeking a victory backed by a volunteer-driven campaign that has turned social media feeds and streets pink.
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Some 67.5 million Filipinos are registered to cast their votes nationwide, with roughly 1.7 million Overseas Filipinos Workers registered to vote remotely in a historic pandemic elections. Gen Z voters and first-time voters can cast their votes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Here's a glance at foreign press coverage of the 2022 Philippine elections:
Al Jazeera
The news channel headquartered in Qatar said "there are 10 candidates vying to replace Rodrigo Duterte as president, but only two really matter," calling the Robredo-Marcos rivalry a "good versus evil campaign."
BBC
In related articles, the BBC called Marcos "the man attempting to revive a corrupt dynasty," with Robredo called "the woman leading the Philippines 'pink revolution'."
Bloomberg
CNN
"That a Marcos could once again take power is almost unthinkable to people still scarred by torture and the death of their relatives, but polls suggest Marcos Jr will win -- and by a considerable margin," CNN said.
"While a grassroots movement has recently galvanized around [Robredo], analysts say Marcos Jr's push for the presidency is the culmination of a decades-old rebranding campaign to revive the Marcos family's name and image," it added.
Channel News Asia
Reuters
International news agency Reuters said a "prospect of Marcos revival looms" 36 years after the People Power Revolution ousted the political family.