From Pariah to President: Marcos Jr Takes Over Philippines' Top Job

Praising his father

Marcos Jr was at boarding school in Britain in 1972 when his father declared martial law, unleashing large-scale corruption and a bloody crackdown on dissent.

He has defended his father's rule by citing the initial surge of economic growth and government spending under martial law, which he said was necessary to save the country from communist and Muslim insurgencies.

On Thursday he praised his father's rule, saying: "I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence... but he got it done."

After the fallen dictator's death in Hawaii in 1989, the Marcoses returned home and began their clan's revival, getting elected to a succession of positions of power.

The family's turnaround has been aided by public disenchantment over an enduring gulf between rich and poor, and graft allegations that marred post-Marcos administrations.

Seeking to avoid a repeat of the 2016 campaign when he was hounded by questions about his family's past, Marcos Jr this time snubbed debates with rivals and gave few interviews.

Opponents have tried in vain to have Marcos Jr disqualified from the presidential race over a previous tax conviction. They appealed to the Supreme Court but lost just days before he took office.

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They also accused him of exaggerating his educational qualifications, and the family of failing to pay nearly $4 billion in estate taxes.