VOA新闻杂志2022--菲律宾下一任总统将如何领导？

How Will the Philippines’ Next President Lead?

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared victory in presidential elections held Monday in the Philippines.

The apparent win is raising concerns about further erosion of democracy in Asia. Critics say it could harm American efforts to reduce Chinese influence and power in the Pacific Ocean area.

An unofficial count of ballots¹ shows Marcos Jr. received at least 31 million votes. His vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, also won in what appears to be a big victory.

If the results are confirmed, the two will take office at the end of June for a single, six-year term. Marcos will replace Sara Duterte's father, Rodrigo.

President Duterte has sought closer ties with China and Russia during his rule. He has also expressed sharp criticism of the United States. He is very popular in the Philippines with a 67 percent public approval rating.

Andrea Chloe Wong is a Manila-based former researcher in the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. She said future relations between the U.S. and the Philippines will have a lot to do with how President Joe Biden's administration responds to the return to power of a Marcos family member.

Biden has to consider geostrategic interests in the Philippines, she said. But he also "has to balance promoting American democratic ideals and human rights."

Marcos Jr. is the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos. He ruled the Philippines from 1965 until a military overthrow² in 1986. For most of his presidency³, he was supported by the military and widely considered a dictator.

The United States has a long history with the Philippines. It was an American colony for most of the early 20th century before gaining independence in 1946.

The U.S. history with the Marcos family could also add to the complexity⁴ of its relations with the Philippines. The U.S. supported administrations that took power after former president Marcos was ousted⁵.

And in 2011, a U.S. District Court ruling in Hawaii found Marcos Jr. and his mother violated a legal order. They had refused to provide the court with information on their wealth. The order was connected to a large 1995 human rights case against Marcos Sr. He died in Hawaii in 1989.

The court fined Marcos Jr. and his mother $353.6 million, which has never been paid.

U.S. relations with President Rodrigo Duterte are complex as well. He is under international investigation⁶ in connection to his government's severe campaign against illegal drugs. He is accused of ordering or permitting thousands of killings⁷ during his rule.

The U.S. noted⁸ the shared history of the two countries in its comments on the election.

State Department official Ned Price told reporters, "We look forward to renewing our special partnership⁹ and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities."

Words in This Story

erosion -n. the slow process by which something is worn away

respond -v. to give an answer to

geostrategic -adj. having to do with the long-term plan involving several nations in a part of the world

promote -v. to support or helping¹⁰ something happen

recipe -n. a set of instructions to make something

key -adj. very important

regional -adj. relating to a particular part of the world

priorities -n. (often pl.) things that are most important to people

1 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。