JAKARTA - Philippine presidential candidates will hold their final general election this week as the campaign enters its final round, in a bipartisan contest between front-runner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his main competitor Leni Robredo.
Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the ousted dictator who ruled the country for two decades, has a stark lead in opinion polls against the incumbent vice president, Robredo, ahead of the May 9 vote.
The front-runner will on Tuesday hold the first of three general meetings this week.
He appears close to completing an effort to rebuild the Marcos family's image -- once thought impossible -- 36 years after a "people power" uprising ended his father's rule.
Political analysts say Marcos Jr.'s path to the presidency has been helped by decades of public relations efforts to change public perceptions of his family, even as critics accuse Marcos family members of trying to revise history.
"I think they (Marcos' campaign) have ... the advantage of crafting compelling narratives, which we know distort historical facts and somehow attract a lot of voters," said retired politics professor Temario Rivera as reported by Antara.
Marcos prioritized a message of unity in his campaign, even as his rivals sought to highlight the looting of the nation's wealth during the ruthless authoritarian rule of his late father.
A survey conducted by independent pollster Pulse Asia in mid-April showed 56 percent of the 2,400 respondents said they would vote for Marcos if elections were held during that poll, while 23 percent said they would support Robredo.
Former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and the mayor of Manila, Francisco Domagoso, had 7 percent and 4 percent support, respectively. The last day of the official campaign is Saturday.
Robredo last week challenged Marcos to a debate so voters could research their character and vision, but the former senator declined, saying he preferred to speak directly to the public.
Both have fierce competition. Robredo had strong links to the street movement to overthrow Marcos Jr.'s father. in 1986.
Despite Marcos' lead in opinion polls, Robredo has lured tens of thousands to recent campaign rallies, support that some analysts say may not be fully reflected in the latest survey.
"We feel confident going into the final week of the campaign," said Robredo's campaign spokesman, Barry Gutierrez.
Marcos, 64, said he would not let his lead in the polls distract him from the work needed to seal victory.
Robredo and Marcos will hold a rally in the central Philippines on Tuesday, with Marcos Jr. in Iloilo Province and its competitors in Panay Island and Bacolod City.
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