Philippines: Did Marcos Jr donate a kidney to his father? 7 ways BBM is different from Marcos Sr

Manila: Ferdinand "Bongbong" "BBM" Marcos Jr and his father, Ferdinand "Apo" Marcos Sr, share a name and legacy.

But the two Marcoses belong to utterly different worlds.

Marcos Sr. rose to power in a Philippines where even owning a telephone felt futuristic; Bongbong Marcos Jr. stepped into office in the age of TikTok, where every move is filmed, memed, and dissected in real time.

There’s also the deeply personal: BBM once donated one of his kidneys to his ailing father, who was battling lupus in the 1980s — years before Marcos Sr. passed away in 1989.

Their life trajectories and leadership contexts are shaped by very different eras, challenges, and upbringings.

Between Apo and BBM, the socio-economic landscape, technology context, generational mindset, and challenges they face differ vastly.

Here are seven key ways the son stands apart from the father:

Marcos Sr.'s presidency began in the 1960s during the height of the Cold War, a period of strongman governance and ideological conflict. During that period, toleration of murderous despots has become the norm amidst the global Red scare.

That included tinkering with the Constitution which ensured Marcos Sr's prolonged hold on power. This has led to a dramatic stagflation in the Asian country, wasting a generation of its young people to a toxic mix of rebellion and migration (to earn dollars for the country), while its neighbours zoomed ahead economically through sheer prudence in economic management.

BBM leads in the 21st century, and has expressed his wishes to turn things around, aspiring to turn the Philippines into the "next Singapore".

In the current era, democracy and globalisation are ascendant amid rapid tech changes. Today's leaders, BBM included, face the challenge of navigating a media-savvy, digitally connected society.

Marcos Sr. came of age amid war and nation-building, forging his career as a lawyer, legislator, and wartime veteran. Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was a prisoner of war (POW) of the Japanese during World War II .

Bongbong Jr. was raised in privilege, educated abroad (mostly in London), and spent key years in exile after the family's ouster, shaping a worldview more cosmopolitan than "revolutionary" or despotic.

Marcos Sr was allergic to any information leading about his ill health, for fear it might embolden his enemies. BBM has openly expressed his support for anti-corruption protesters, who has found an ally in him.

BBM created an independent infrastructure probe body, and vowed "no holy cows", amid an ongoing expose on massive kickbacks in government projects.

Marcos Sr. secured power through a slim margin vs Diosdado Macapagal in 1965, followed by constitutional amendments, Martial Law, and tight control over institutions.

Bongbong Jr. gained office through a competitive democratic election and must operate within a pluralist, often contentious, system where legitimacy hinges on popular consent and coalition-building.

The elder Marcos manipulated traditional mass media and censored critics to maintain an official narrative. In contrast, Bongbong Jr. campaigns and governs in a hyper-connected world, relying on digital platforms, influencers, and rapid-response PR to manage his image and policies.

Marcos Sr. initially presided over growth, but later struggled with debt crises, cronyism, and civil unrest. Bongbong Jr. faces new, complex challenges.

The Philippines continues to rise in passport power index, a big deal for young Filipino wanderlusts.

Manila has signed multiple bilateral agreements covering economic, cultural and defence cooperation, and has narrowly hit the upper middle income country (UMIC) nation early this year.

Its major challenge: curbing corruption, resilience against natural disasters, harnessing AI and its young people, keeping tabs on dis/misinformation, and an electorate jaded by decades of elite politics.

The first President Marcos was a staunch US ally during the Cold War, aligning Philippine strategy with Washington. Bongbong Jr. find himself in a multipolar world. This requires balance relations between old allies, an assertive China, and fellow ASEAN members in an increasingly competitive region.

He has pushed for an independent friend-to-all-enemy-to-none foreign policy, an approach that seeks mutually beneficial cooperation and safeguarding national interests while maintaining good diplomatic ties globally, while firmly protecting Philippine sovereignty. Marcos Jr. has also realigned the Philippines closely with the US, strengthening defence and military cooperation. Maintenance of strategic security ties, including with the US, is central to responding to broader geopolitical challenges in Southeast Asia.

The Marcos legacy is a story of two eras colliding. Marcos Sr. remains etched in history as the symbol of authoritarian rule, Martial Law abuses, and corruption that reshaped the nation’s political psyche.

BBM, meanwhile, is racing to rewrite the narrative.

With three years left in his single, six-year term prescribed by the 1987 Charter, he casts himself as a steadier, more pragmatic figure trying to carve out a legacy unburdened by his father’s darkest chapters.

Their contrast captures more than just a family divide.

It highlights how dramatically the Philippines, and the world, have transformed.

One ruled with an iron grip in the 20th century. The other is struggling to lead in an age of transparency, hyper-connectivity, and relentless scrutiny.

And the country is watching — closely.