MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday wept after saying in an interview how he wished his late father and namesake were alive to see him ascend as the second Marcos president.

He became teary eyed when asked what he told his father - former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. - when he visited his grave a day after winning the 2022 national elections.

“You should be here,” Marcos Jr. said in an interview with Toni Gonzaga aired on ALLTV channel.

“This is yours. This is not all mine. This is yours. This is your – my mom. This is your good work that brought me here. Don’t leave me now,” he said.

“I’m going to need your help. That was what we talked about,” he said.

Marcos Sr. died in 1989 while in exile in Hawaii due to complications from lupus.

The younger Marcos said he also sought his father’s guidance and vowed to continue his legacy.

“I spoke to him, I said, ‘It’s time for you to rest now. Don’t worry we’ll be here, we’ll continue,’” he said.

“I will use everything I learned from you to continue your work,” he said.

During the commemoration of Marcos Sr.’s 105th birthday earlier this week, the incumbent president vowed that there will be a “rebirth of his [father’s] dreams” under the second Marcos presidency.

• Marcos Jr leads commemoration of father's 105th birthday, vows 'rebirth of his dreams'