While the official results of the 2022 Philippine Presidential election aren’t yet finalized, it’s obvious that betting favorite Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., has won in an historic landslide.
With a bit over 98% of the vote in, Marcos has received over 31 million votes compared to just 14 million for main rival Leni Robredo.
As the outgoing Vice President, Robredo was reasonably popular, but incoming VP Sara Duterte-Carpio – former Mayor of Davao City, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, and Marcos’ “unofficial” running mate – received nearly the same number of votes as Marcos, winning the 2022 Philippine Vice-Presidential election in a similar landslide.
While various influential powerbrokers in the Western media tried to smear Marcos in the run-up to the election, it didn’t seem to matter. Even now, CNN is pulling out all the stops to make sure the West “understands” that the residents of the Philippines chose poorly:
“The victory, if confirmed, would see the Marcos family return to power more than 30 years after they were forced to flee the country in disgrace following a People Power revolution that toppled the regime of Marcos Sr. in 1986. Marcos Sr., whose 21-year rule was marked by human rights abuses and widespread corruption, died in exile in Hawaii three years later, but his family returned to the Philippines in 1991 and became wealthy, influential politicians, with successive family members representing their dynastic stronghold of Ilocos Norte. …
Tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured or killed during the martial law period from 1972 to 1981 under Marcos Sr., according to human rights groups. The Philippines’ Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG), tasked with recovering the family’s ill-gotten wealth, estimates about $10 billion was stolen from the Filipino people. Dozens of cases are still active.”
Of course, the only people that matter in this election – the Filipino people – weren’t swayed by such biased foreign diatribes. Marcos was the betting favorite at all the top Philippine online sportsbooks, pulling -10000 odds in the days leading up to the election.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sara’s odds were so strong that no sports betting site even posted them. This election, more than any other national election in recent memory, was a foregone conclusion.
As Marcos’ camp stated Wednesday:
“In historic numbers, the people have used their democratic vote to unite our nation. This is a victory for all Filipinos, and for democracy. To those who voted for Bongbong, and those who did not, it is his promise to be a President for all Filipinos. To seek common ground across political divides, and to work together to unite the nation.”
To put the numbers into perspective, this is the current tally for all three of the main Presidential candidates in the Philippine election:
- Bongbong Marcos – 31 million, 61%
- Leni Robredo – 14 million, 27%
- Manny Pacquaio – 4 million, 8%
- Isko Moreno – 2 million, 4%
Even with Marcos’ huge win and the historic wipeout of outgoing VP Robredo, it’s notable that boxing legend Manny Pacquiao managed to garner nearly 8% of the total vote.
If you’re familiar with American politics, Pacquiao – very much a “third party” style of candidate (even as he ran under a major party banner) – did about three times better than the best third-partiers do in United States elections.
In fact, even Manila Mayor Isko Moreno – who pulled down just four percent of the vote – did better than most third-party US candidates throughout history.
Still, at the end of the day, this election was a referendum on the existing Philippine government and represents what most analysts say is a logical continuation of the policies embraced and popularized by the Duterte Administration.
As for the future of political betting in the Philippines, the next round of elections – the local barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections – will be contested in December.
These, however, are far too numerous and hyper-localized to attract betting odds from the best international sportsbooks.
That said, you won’t have to wait another three years until the 2025 Philippine congressional elections to bet on politics in the country, as there are sure to be several Philippines-related political props and other current events wagers to make as the Marcos Administration takes the reins.
Plus, you know, there’s all those other regional and global world powers moving ever forward toward whatever they’re after. Russia comes to mind, as does China.
And if you’re tired of politics or betting on politics, you can always find some well-deserved – and potentially quite profitable – escapism at the best Philippine online casinos, online sportsbooks, and online poker rooms.