Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Replaces Rodrigo Duterte As Philippine President

Rodrigo Duterte's successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was sworn in as Philippine president during a ceremony in Manila.

At noon local time, Marcos Jr. took the oath of office in front of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo of the Supreme Court at the National Museum in the capital Manila.

Washington Post noted that Marcos Jr., also known as Bongbong, won the May elections by a wide margin.

Since the revolution that overthrew his father 36 years ago, Marcos is the only presidential candidate to win a majority -- thanks to the more than 30 million votes he received. That's around 58.77 percent of all ballots cast, CNN reported.

The former President's daughter and his running companion, Sara Duterte, were inaugurated in as vice president on June 19 and will hold office through 2028.

Marcos Jr. claimed in his inaugural address that his "call for unity" had been embraced by the populace, who had "deliver the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy."

"This is a historic moment for us all," he said in an official transcript. "You picked me to be your servant, to enable changes to benefit all. I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility you put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly but I am ready for the task."

Marcos Jr. thanked Imelda Marcos, the 92-year-old former first lady, for attending the ceremony. His immediate family, including his sister Imee, are present in the oathtaking, too. In Bongbong's remarks, he paid tribute to the late dictator who was his father.

"I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence. In a land of people with the greatest potential for achievement, and yet they were poor. But he got it done," Marcos Jr. mentioned in his 25-minute speech.

Sometimes with needed support, sometimes without. So will it be with his son -- you will get no excuses from me," the new Chief Executive added.

He also vowed to improve the Philippine economy, help the nation recover from the pandemic, and lead it to greater unity and prosperity. He also spoke of mending the nation's differences.

"I am here not to talk about the past, I am here to tell you about our future. A future of sufficiency, even plenty, of readily available ways and means to get done what needs doing," Marcos Jr. pointed out. "I will get it done," he assured.

According to BBC News, Marcos Jr.'s inauguration represents the conclusion of the Marcoses' decades-long fight to recover their former political prominence.

Millions of people took to the streets in a major rebellion that ousted Marcos Sr.'s government in 1986, and the Marcos family, including the then-28-year-old named Bongbong, fled the nation for Hawaii.

The veteran politician, who moved back to the Philippines in 1991, has tried to portray his father's administration as a "golden period" of development and wealth.