Wikifilipino ferdinand marcos biography

Ferdinand Marcos (September 11, 1917–September 28, 1989) ruled the Philippines with an iron fist from 1966 to 1986. Critics charged Marcos and his regime with crimes like corruption and nepotism. Marcos himself is said to have exaggerated his role in World War II. He also murdered a family political rival. Marcos created an elaborate cult of personality. When that state-mandated adulation proved insufficient for him to maintain control, President Marcos declared martial law.

Early Life

Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was born on Sept. 11, 1917, to Mariano and Josefa Marcos in the village of Sarrat, on the island of Luzon, the Philippines. Persistent rumors say that Ferdinand's biological father was a man named Ferdinand Chua, who served as his godfather. Officially, however, Josefa's husband Mariano Marcos was the child's father.

Young Ferdinand Marcos grew up in a privileged milieu. He excelled at school and took an eager interest in things like boxing and shooting.

Education

Marcos attended school in Manila. His godfather Ferdinand Chua may have helped pay for his educational expenses. During the 1930s, the young man studied law at the University of the Philippines, outside of Manila.

This legal training would come in handy when Marcos was arrested and tried for a 1935 political murde

Mr Marcos Jr is the only son of the country's former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, who was president from 1965 until 1986. To understand the family's remarkable political comeback - it's important to consider their earlier rise and fall.

It's a dramatic story of murder, protests, exile - and thousands of designer shoes.

Although he first became president in 1965, Mr Marcos Sr seized full control of the Philippines in 1972. This was a year before his second term as president was due to expire, but rather than leave office he declared martial law.

In practice, this meant parliament was suspended, opposition politicians were arrested and total censorship was imposed. Mr Marcos Sr, once a successful lawyer, took full control of the courts. The army and police tortured and killed his opponents - something that continued throughout his presidency.

The years that followed are remembered as one of the darkest periods in the nation's history, with widespread human rights abuses and corruption. Millions of people lived in extreme poverty as the country's debt mounted.

But it was a high-profile murder on an August afternoon in 1983 that triggered the eventual downfall of Mr Marcos Sr.

Opposition leader Benigno Aquino had been in exile in the United States after fleeing the Marcos regime. Determined to bring democracy to his country, he flew back to the capital Manila - but was shot dead after landing.

The assassination, which happened despite a large government-appointed security detail, electrified the Philippines.

Tens of thousands of people joined the outpouring of grief, which soon morphed into a pro-democracy movement. They rallied around Mr Aquino's widow, Cory, who stood against President Marcos when he called a snap election in 1986 to try to calm the anger.