Marcos Martínez

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, more commonly known by his nickname Bongbong, is the frontrunner to be the next president of the Philippines when the country votes on 9 May. His father was a ruthless dictator. His mother gained international notoriety for her massive collection of shoes. In the Marcos stronghold of Ilocos Norte sits an impressive colonial Spanish-era style building - the Malacañang of the North. The original Malacañang palace - the official home to the Philippines’ president, sits hundreds of miles away in the capital Manila - but this particular building was gifted to the family by the Philippine Tourism Authority when Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country in the 1960s. Now open to the public, it is a shrine to his family. Supporters take selfies next to regal portraits of Ferdinand and his wife Imelda Marcos and explore the rooms they once lived in. Inside Bongbong’s childhood room, hanging next to an ornate four-poster bed, is an extraordinary portrait of the would-be-leader. Bongbong, wearing a golden crown, rides on a white stallion through the clouds. In one hand he carries the Philippine flag, in the other a Bible. A reference to the Book of Revelation in the corner of the painting helps decode the imagery, describing an angel flying over the holy, walled city of Jerusalem.