马科斯当选菲律宾副总统

AS IT IS 2016-05-10 Philippines Considers Another Marcos for Vice¹-President 马科斯当选菲律宾副总统

In the Philippines, voters will elect a new president today. They also will elect a vice president -- the country’s second highest position.

One of the leading candidates for vice president is the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos. 

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is currently a member of the Philippine Senate. His political campaign has called for finding real solutions to the country’s problems.

During a recent campaign stop, the 57-year-old candidate told a crowd near Manila Bay that he takes the office of vice president very seriously.

“We’re not just all talk,” he said. “It’s not just slogans. It’s not just destroying and fighting with our opponents.”

Marcos has also told supporters that he wants to achieve unity², for all to live as one. “This is the only way I see that our people can once again feel their lives are renewed and progressing,” he said.

His father, the former president, was accused of plundering⁴ billions of dollars and violating the human rights of citizens.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted⁵ in a “people power” rebellion in 1986. At the time, his political opponents accused him of trying to steal an election from another candidate. After several days of protests, the dictator went into exile in the American state of Hawaii, where he died three years later.

Today, his son, who calls himself “Bongbong,” is very popular in the Philippines, even if his family’s name is linked to a turbulent time.

Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has so far been at the top or tied in national opinion surveys. His strongest support has generally come from people who lived under his father’s rule.

Dennis Pareja is a cargo⁶ ship employee and a supporter of the candidate. He said the Oxford-educated Marcos would be a good choice for the country’s overseas workers.

“This is not a ‘like father, like son’ situation,” Pareja said. “He’s different from his father. Bongbong has learned the lessons and will not repeat that.”

Marcos told reporters at a gathering⁷ of workers that no one can change the past. “The past is the past, so we are looking to the future. That’s what’s getting us the support,” he said.

Marcos was asked whether his family should say it is sorry for alleged⁸ abuses committed during his father’s rule. He has repeatedly said he would not apologize for things he did not do.

Another supporter of Marcos Jr. is Roly Alvarez, who was 17 years old when the candidate’s father declared martial⁹ law in 1972. She said life was “beautiful” back then, and she longs for the days when crime was low.

Another supporter, Josh Lim of Manila, said Filipinos need to do research to find the real reasons why the country’s wealth collapsed¹⁰ in the 1980s.

“Many people said that we are number two to Japan during Marcos’ time. And well, it is sad that our history, the Philippine history, was distorted by the yellow people, yellow propaganda, if you’re aware of that.”

Josh Lim was talking about the Aquino family. Former president Corazon Aquino made a yellow ribbon and yellow-colored clothing a sign of the restoration of democracy in 1986.

Bonifacio Ilagan is the head of a movement aimed at preventing Marcos from becoming vice president. Ilagan said he plans to keep campaigning against the candidate.

“I don’t think our country deserves a leader who lies, who keeps stolen money, and who cannot recognize right from wrong.”

Observers say that while Marcos seems to be leading his six main vice presidential opponents, his levels of support have remained flat for the past four months.

In recent weeks, Leni Robredo, the candidate of the Liberal Party, has slowly moved up in the polls, edging past Marcos by one or two percentage points.

Words in This Story

poll – n. the process of voting in an election

solution – n. the means of solving a problem or dealing¹¹ with a situation

achieve –v. being successfully in reaching a desired goal or objective

renew – v. to continue to an activity or event after an interruption

plunder³ – v. to steal goods from a place or people, usually by force

turbulent – adj. characterized by conflict, disorder¹² or confusion

alleged – adj. said to have happened, but not yet proven

martial law – n. a law imposed by a military-backed government

restoration – n. the act of returning something to a former owner, place or condition

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 plunder   

vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠

参考例句：

• The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
• Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

4 plundering   

掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went. 部队经过乡村，一路抢劫掳掠。
• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

10 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。