MANILA: Ferdinand Marcos Jr looked on course for a huge victory in the Philippines presidential election on Monday, after an unofficial tally of two thirds of the votes showed the son of the notorious late dictator surging ahead of his nearest rival.

The massive lead bolsters the chances of a once unthinkable return to rule of the Marcos family, 36 years after its patriarch’s overthrow in a “people power” revolution and his family’s humiliating retreat into exile. Marcos Jr had 21.7 million votes, more than double the 10.3 million votes for Leni Robredo, the vice president, with 66.1% of the number of eligible ballots counted, according to an unofficial tally.