MANILA, Philippines – In the final miting de avance of frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that was touted to be a call for “good vibes,” his senatorial candidates cursed at least four times before a huge crowd of supporters waving Philippine flags.

The Saturday, May 7, rally at the Aseana open field in Parañaque closed near midnight and wrapped up a three-month official campaign period that Marcos spokesman Vic Rodriguez, in an interview with ANC’s Headstart, said would end on a “high note and good vibes.”

Speakers declared victory and cursed the past.

“Siguradong panalo na (This is a sure win),” said senatorial candidate Harry Roque, who was once an anti-Marcos activist.

Vice presidential bet Sara Duterte, who went to the rally in a Filipiniana top, said: “Kasi sinabi niyong panalo na ako kaya nag-barong ako kasi akala ko oath taking na eh.” (You said I already won so I wore this because I thought it’s already oath-taking.)

Sara was by herself, while Marcos was joined by wife Liza and sons Sandro, Simon and Vincent. Up to the last day, President Rodrigo Duterte did not endorse Marcos.

Marcos, on the other hand, stuck to his stump speech as the crowd chanted, “panalo ka na!” (you’ve won).” But a few minutes into his speech, people started to leave to make their way out of the open field. It was past 11 pm, after all.

Curses fly

While supporters were treated to a fireworks spectacle, they were also given a menu of lies and curses.

Senatorial candidates Robin Padilla and Larry Gadon made curses fly – to the delight of the crowd.

“Walang tulugan! Tandaan niyo noong 2016, natulog lang tayo p___ i ____ ! (No blinking! Remember in 2016 we just slept m___ f___ !)” Padilla said, sending the crowd roaring.

The actor and pardoned ex-convict was urging the crowd to help protect their votes, alluding once again to Marcos’ claim of electoral fraud in the 2016 vice presidential race which he lost to his closest rival Vice President Leni Robredo. The Supreme Court has junked Marcos’ case by a unanimous vote, 15-0.

Suspended lawyer Larry Gadon spew vile words against Robredo, calling her “lutang (scatter brain),” with “low IQ” and “p__ ng mga komunista (whore of the communist),” effectively red-tagging and verbally harassing the Vice President. He also called the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III “abnormal.”

Gadon, a foul-mouthed Marcos loyalist whose license to practice law has been suspended indefinitely after he cursed a journalist, also condemned – with curse words – the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolt that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and which set the tone for peaceful transitions in other countries.

“Mas maunlad pa sana ang pamumuno ni Presidente Marcos pero siya ay sapilitang tinanggal dahil sa p__ i __ EDSA, EDSA na ‘yan,” said Gadon. “Nakialam ang p__ i __ CIA, nakialam ang mga dilawan, nakialam ang mga komunista kaya nangyari ang ’86,” Gadon continued.

(President Marcos could have done so much better but he was forcibly ousted because of that m__ f__ EDSA….That m__ f__ CIA interfered, the yellow interfered, the communists interfered that’s why ’86 happened.)

Filipino communists were in fact left out at EDSA because they decided to boycott the 1986 presidential elections that preceded it and which triggered massive protests of cheating against Marcos.

“No comment,” said senatorial candidate Migz Zubiri when asked if he subscribes to the vile characterization of people power.

But the “good vibe” campaign closing it was touted to be had several curses flying, name calling, and revising history. We tried to ask for Vic Rodriguez’ reaction but he did not answer. pic.twitter.com/Szzk7kP9fu

— Lian Buan (@lianbuan) May 7, 2022

Hail the vloggers

Marcos ran a campaign that harped on unity and positive campaigning, but researchers have found evidence that the disinformation network that has spread hate and lies benefitted Marcos the most, and targeted Robredo above all else.

Marcos has insisted he has no link to any disinformation network.

But his campaign gave preferential treatment to vloggers, who amplified the propaganda that the repressive and bloody Marcos dictatorship was the country’s golden era.

During the pre-program on Saturday, the host said: “Mabuhay ang mga vlogger, dahil sila ang tunay na nagbabalita. (Hail to the vloggers, for they deliver the real news.)

When we asked one supporter at the rally, Rhodora Hernandez of Las Piñas, why she’s voting for Marcos and Sara Duterte, she said, “Basta BBM po talaga ako (I really want BBM). BBM stands for Bongbong Marcos.

Then she added that it’s because the Marcoses have been generous to the poor. “Napapanood ko po, ako po ay laging nanonood sa mga vlog niya (I watched it, I always watch it in his vlogs),” Hernandez said.

If corruption allegations were true, Akash Byernas of Laguna said, “alam nating may batas tayo na kung may mga kaso siyang ganun, dadaan siya sa legal. Kung may kasalanan siya, mapapanagutan niya ‘yun kahit pangulo siya.” (We have a law so if he has a case, it would go through a legal process. If he committed a crime, he will be held accountable because he is the president.)

The President is generally immune from suit, and critics have feared that once Marcos becomes president, the next frontier of their rebrand would be the courts – by dropping all the pending cases.

The Supreme Court, way back in 2003, declared that $658 million of the Marcoses’ assets are stolen. The government has recovered P174 billion so far from Marcoses and cronies, and is still running after P125 billion more.

Hitting journalists

Rodante Marcoleta, who already withdrew from the race, still spoke at the rally and, following the anti-EDSA narrative of the Marcos camp, described the revolt as “poison,” “madness,” “delusion” and “a deceptive chapter in history.”

Marcoleta also accused the Aquino family of deliberately withholding the truth of who killed former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino II in 1983. The Supreme Court in 1986 said the dictator Marcos “misused the overwhelming resources of the government and his authoritarian powers to corrupt and make a mockery of the judicial process” in the Aquino murder case.

Marcoleta also again hit ABS-CBN, whose franchise he pushed to kill in the House of Representatives as congressman, resulting in the retrenchment of thousands. It was also the peak of the Duterte government’s harassment of the free press, as the last time ABS-CBN was shut down was during the Marcos dictatorship.

Marcoleta, relaying what a friend supposedly told him: “Mabuti na lang naipasara ang ABS-CBN, sapagkat yan ang tagapagtaguyod ng alamat ng yellow ribbon.” (It’s good that ABS-CBN was shut down, because they are yellow propagandists.

As he said it, the crowed turned their heads to the journalists cramped in a small fenced box in the middle of the open field.

Marcoleta also defended the Marcoses from their unpaid P23 billion, which has potentially ballooned to P203 billion, in estate tax, claiming it’s been settled.

But Marcos himself has not claimed this, because he evades the question, to the point that his camp tells journalists not to ask it. When he was cornered once with the question, Marcos walked away.

Confident of a win

The crowd exuded confidence, chanting victory constantly.

Marcos made one last appeal: “Pagdating ng lunes, pagpasok po ninyo sa inyong mga presinto ay isipin ninyo kung ano ang ninanais nating kinabukasan para sa ating mamamayan, para sa Pilipinas, at sa ganung pag-iisip ay umaasa kami sa Uniteam na tambalang Marcos-Duterte, umaasa kami na kami ang mapupusuan ninyo dahil sa Uniteam niyo lang maririnig ang pagkakaisa,” said Marcos.

(Come Monday, when you go to your precincts, think of the future you want for your countrymen, for the Philippines, and by thinking of that think of Uniteam, think of the Marcos-Duterte tandem. We are hoping you would go for us because you heard unity only from Uniteam.)

He again ignored journalists after the rally. As journalists were pushed, the people around Marcos chanted: “Protect BBM, Protect BBM!”

We tried to interview Bongbong Marcos for the last time in this campaign, but his security was, as usual, very rough. Two of my female colleagues got pushed, as the people around him chant: “Protect BBM! Protect BBM!” pic.twitter.com/ylj9RhSqEh

— Lian Buan (@lianbuan) May 7, 2022

– Rappler.com