During Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s 21-year rule, human rights abuses were rampant, with arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, torture, and killings common. Amnesty International reported that 70,000 people (including priests, human rights defenders, labor leaders, and journalists) were imprisoned, over 34,000 tortured, and more than 3,000 killed.
To win votes, Marcos Jr. spent an average of four hours a day on social media, using this tool to whitewash his family's past. Bongbong orchestrated a years-long social media strategy to help rebuild and elevate his family's image. Social media was flooded with pro-Marcos propaganda—from slick TikTok videos showcasing the "good times" of the Marcos era to YouTube videos claiming there was no martial law.
