It was a deal – rumoured to have been brokered at the exclusive island resort of Balesin – that set the course of the Philippines election. The children of two of the country’s most powerful families agreed to join forces: dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr would run to be president in an alliance with Sara Duterte, the tough-talking daughter of the populist incumbent, Rodrigo Duterte.
Last week, they won a thumping victory. Marcos Jr secured 31 million votes, according to an unofficial count, thought to be the biggest mandate in decades. Sara Duterte, who ran to be vice-president, also won by a huge margin.
