The country holds direct presidential elections every six years. With the constitution limiting presidents to a single term, the incumbent, Rodrigo Duterte, cannot run again – although he still enjoys high approval ratings.

Filipinos will choose their next president from among 10 potential successors.

An opinion poll by Pulse Asia Research in March put former senator Marcos, popularly known as “Bongbong”, on top with a 56% support rate.

Among the other main candidates, Vice-President Leni Robredo was second with 24%, followed by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno with 8% and professional boxer-turned politician Senator Manny Pacquiao with 6%.

As the son of a former president, Bongbong Marcos has high name recognition as well as long political career. He has served in both the upper and lower chambers of the Philippine Congress.

He has a strong social media presence, with around 5.8 million Facebook followers.

In the Philippines, where young people make up a large slice of the electorate, many have no memory of the human rights abuses that took place under Bongbong’s father, or of the People Power revolution in 1986 that deposed him.

Bongbong’s calls to rebuild the Philippine economy appeal to his youthful supporters on Facebook.

Robredo has grappled with eradicating poverty in the Philippines and stemming the spread of Covid-19.

Partly because she has confronted the current president, who has governed the country in a heavy-handed way, more than 270 university professors and economists unhappy with the Duterte administration have publicly expressed their support for Robredo.

Moreno, a former actor, hails from Manila’s poor Tondo district. As mayor of the Philippine capital, he has worked to improve public hygiene and housing, and to beautify the city.

Moreno has pledged that if elected president, he will enhance the country’s social services and infrastructure, and promote regional cities’ development.

Legendary boxer Pacquiao is also among the four top candidates. He retired from the ring to run for president, promising to stamp out government corruption. Attention will focus on whether he can expand his support beyond his home island of Mindanao.

China looms large over the election. Despite the Philippines’ long-standing alliance with the US, Duterte has kept his distance, adopting a friendly attitude toward China despite its territorial dispute with the Philippines over islands in South China Sea.

Beijing and Manila have close trade ties.

The next president’s stance toward China will greatly affect security in the region.

Bongbong would likely continue Duterte’s China-friendly policy. After he filed his papers to run for president last October, he visited the Chinese embassy for talks with the ambassador.

“If you are referring to the foreign policy of President Duterte of engaging with China, well that is our only option,” Bongbong said at an event in January.

With China, including Hong Kong, the largest importer of Philippine products, Bongbong, if elected, is expected to maintain close trade relations with China as he looks to revitalise the economy.

Robredo, for her part, stresses the importance of the territorial issue.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in 2016, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, that China’s claim to virtually all the South China Sea has no basis in international law.

Undeterred, China has continued its island-building in the region.

Calling the arbitration court’s judgment a “card to persuade other nations to help us and join us to put a stop (to) the encroachment of our territory”, Robredo has staked out a tough position toward China.

Moreno has said that China is not a foe on the South China Sea issue, but should respect the Philippines’ point of view. He is seen as willing to work with Chinese companies in developing energy resources in the South China Sea.

If elected, Moreno may put more weight on trade when it comes to relations with Beijing.

Pacquiao proposes creating a government panel to discuss peace with China in a bid to deepen cooperation with the country.

“Whatever our agreement with China is, it should not trample on the rights of Filipinos. We aspire to be friends with all nations, and our agreements should contribute to the improvement of our countrymen’s lives,” he said in February.

Another question is whether the next president will continue Duterte’s policies. While Bongbong is considered to be close to Duterte’s policy line, Robredo and Pacquiao are at odds with the president over China.

In an unusual move, Duterte has not endorsed a candidate.

Over Duterte’s six years in office, railways and subways have been built as part of an infrastructure development programme called simply, “Build, Build, Build.”

But some projects are behind schedule. Whether the next president intends to proceed with the programme is another key question.

The election results are likely to be clear within several days after voting day on May 9. The new president takes office on June 30.