So how is 64-year-old Ferdinand Marcos Jr, more commonly known by his nickname Bongbong, the frontrunner to be the next president of the Philippines when the country votes on 9 May?
The answer lies in an intriguing web made up of dynastic politics, loyalties going back generations and social media manipulation.
A golden crown and a white stallion
In the Marcos stronghold of llocos Norte sits an impressive colonial Spanish-era style building - the Malacañang of the North.
The original Malacañang palace - the official home to the Philippines' president, sits hundreds of miles away in the capital Manila - but this particular building was gifted to the family by the Philippine Tourism Authority when Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country in the 1960s.
Now open to the public, it is a shrine to his family. Supporters take selfies next to regal portraits of Ferdinand and his wife Imelda Marcos and explore the rooms they once lived in.