(Kuwait Times) MANILA: Hundreds of Philippine priests on Thursday endorsed the main rival to former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s son, just days ahead of a presidential election they called a “battle for the soul” of the nation. About 200 members of the clergy from the deeply Catholic country joined the mounting number of priests publicly backing Leni Robredo, who polls clock at a distant second behind Ferdinand Marcos Junior in the lead up to Monday’s vote.

The election is seen as one of the most consequential in Philippine history — a potentially make-or-break moment for the young democracy. The group of clergy called it a “battle for the soul” of the nation — a choice between the rule of law and the “diminution of our liberties.”
Marcos Jr has a seemingly unassailable double-digit lead, winning widespread support by forging alliances with several of the country’s rival political dynasties. But his juggernaut campaign has been propelled by social media misinformation seeking to rewrite history about his father’s brutal rule.

As many as 50,000 people were detained during martial law that ran from 1972-1981 as the elder Marcos and his wife Imelda became by-words for authoritarian kleptocracy. Imelda, now 92, is seen as a driving force behind the family’s public rehabilitation and the rebranding of that era as the Philippines’ “golden age”.