MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo argued on Monday that rival Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr's potential triumph in the May presidential race would bring back the supposed corruption and misgovernment in his father's dictatorship.

Robredo had said averting a Marcos return to Malacañang was her top concern when she was still deciding whether or not to run for higher office.

“Ito kasi iyong dahilan bakit sinabi ko ‘to: everything that they represent. Alam natin iyong pinanggalingan natin during the dictatorship. Alam natin iyong sobrang korapsyon. Alam natin iyong sobrang misgovernance. Alam natin iyong klase ng pulitika na sinimulan,” Robredo said in a DZBB interview.

(This is the reason why I said that: everything they represent. We know what we went through during the dictatorship. We know the excessive corruption, we know the misgovernance. We know the kind of politics that was started.)

“’Pag nakabalik sila sa posisyon, ganoon ulit iyong aasahan natin. Ang pinakatanong ko, gusto ba natin ‘yon?”

(If they return to power, that’s what we can expect again. My main question is do we want that?)

MARCOS DODGES MARTIAL LAW QUESTIONS

Marcos, 64, the early frontrunner in presidential surveys, has been dodging questions about a brutal era of martial law that started 7 years into his father's 1965-1986 rule, touting instead a message of unity.

"What questions are going to be asked that have not been asked? And how many answers do you have to give that have not been given before?", Marcos told One News television late on Monday, appearing exasperated by an interview question.

"Nothing is going to change."

Since his family's return from exile after fleeing the "people power" revolution, Marcos has been elected governor, congressman, and senator, and his family remains one of the wealthiest and most influential forces in Philippine politics.

During the 1972-1981 martial law era, thousands of his father's opponents were arrested, many tortured, beaten and killed. The Marcos family was accused of plundering billions of dollars from state coffers, allegations it refutes.

Marcos said he hoped to woo victims of martial law to support his candidacy "by presenting the best plans, best ideas and showing them I'm sincere."

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ROBREDO EYES SOCIAL MEDIA 'TRUTH'

While his candidacy has angered victims of abuses during his father's rule, opinion polls indicate he could easily beat his rivals, which include boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Vice President Leni Robredo.

Political observers credit Marcos' sophisticated social media machine for his strong showing in surveys.

After Twitter suspended hundreds of accounts promoting Marcos, for violating rules on manipulation and spam, Marcos said he never had a "troll" army, but noted the importance of social media in his campaign.

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Robredo also acknowledged the difficulty of countering false stories on social media, which works on algorithms.

“Ang kailangan naming gawin, siguraduhin na iyong katotohanan iyong lumalabas,” Robredo said. “Mahirap ito kasi alam natin iyong social media works on algorithms.”

“Maraming mga kababayan natin ang hindi natin ma-blame kung naniniwala kasi iyong source nila nabublur na talaga iyong mga kasinungalingan sa katotohanan. Iyong pinaka-challenge talaga ngayon, papaano mag-reach out sa mga kababayan natin at maipahayag kung ano talaga iyong totoo,” she continued.

(What we need to do is ensure that the truth comes out. This is difficult because we know social media work on algorithms. We cannot blame many of our compatriots if they believe because their source blurs the truth. That is the main challenge, how can we reach out to our compatriots to relay what is true.)

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Robredo said the elections would determine the direction of the country in the next 6 years.

“Klaro naman iyong lines ngayon, ano ba iyong niri-represent namin. Para sa akin, iyong eleksyon na ‘to, hindi na lang tungkol ito sa who is the better candidate, pero what do we represent, anong kalseng pamamahala, anong klaseng pulitika?” she said.

(The lines are clear, what we represent. For me, this election is no longer about who the better candidate is, but what we represent, what kind of governance, what kind of politics.)

— With a report from Reuters

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