As the temperature soared, Filipinos lined up for almost a mile to enter an elementary school in central Manila to cast their votes.
Pop-up stalls sold water, mango shakes and even yakitori as music blared from cars and bikes. Despite the festive air, the task they — and tens of millions across the sprawling island republic — were engaged in was deadly serious: Determining whether a brutal dictator’s family returns to helm the country.
The last time a man named Marcos lived at the presidential palace, he packed his bags in a hurry. That was 1986 and an American helicopter was waiting to whisk him toward exile in Hawaii after the U.S. withdrew support for his bankrupt and discredited rule amid a popular uprising and defections from the army. Now, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has triumphed in the Philippines presidential election held Monday. His nearest opponent, Vice President Leni Robredo, trailed by a big margin.