ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the political rehabilitation of Ferdinand Marcos in Philippine political discourse before the 2022 presidential elections, focusing on how nostalgia for the so-called Marcos golden age is produced, circulated, and legitimized online. Despite historical evidence documenting authoritarian abuses and systemic corruption during the martial law years, many Filipinos have come to view that era as one of stability and progress. The analysis of pro-Marcos narratives on social media reveals how rhetorical elements are configured to produce an affective structure that renders the golden age myth emotionally compelling and politically persuasive. This framework is organized around a tripartite historical schema—light, darkness, light—within which the Marcos dictatorship is reimagined as a period of national flourishing interrupted by elite betrayal and greed. The findings suggest that nostalgia functions both as a form of memory tinged with yearning for an idealized past and as a vehicle for expressing frustration, disillusionment, and hope amid unfulfilled promises of post-authoritarian reform. The chapter calls for closer scrutiny of how affect-driven memory and digital misinformation and disinformation reshape political imagination, undermine historical accountability, and recast the terms of truth and legitimacy.
