A Marcos back in power is a warning to the whole world

Earlier this month, Adarna House - a children's book publisher in the Philippines - publicized a special offer on social media: 20% off a #NeverAgain book bundle.

- Nicole Curato

The selection includes a Tagalog translation of This is a Dictatorship, a book originally published in Spain when the country was transitioning from the Franco-era.

What seems like a mundane moment of online marketing was in fact a significant political act. Ferdinand "Bongbong” Marcos, the son and namesake of the late dictator, had just won the Philippines' presidential election by a landslide. Marcos Sr was one of the dictators identified in the book, alongside Nicolae Ceauşescu, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and others. Under Marcos's two-decade rule, thousands were killed, tortured and "disappeared". The Philippines became a kleptocracy as the Marcos family and their cronies plundered up to $10bn.

In 1986, the Philippines decided that time was up for the Marcoses. A peaceful mass uprising forced the family into exile in Hawaii. Democratic institutions were rebuilt, albeit slowly and imperfectly. But in 2022, the nation had apparently changed its mind. Marcos Jr was a consistent frontrunner in the presidential campaign. His victory was expected.