Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday announced he is joining the 2022 presidential race after taking his oath as member of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, a political party allied with the Duterte administration.

Marcos will offer what he described as a “unifying form of leadership in the country” that has been grappling with the coronavirus-2019 pandemic for almost two years now.

It is the first time for the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to run for president. He lost the vice presidential race to Leni Robredo in 2016. Robredo is to announce her political plans on Thursday.

"I am announcing my intention to run for the Presidency of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 elections," the younger Marcos said on Facebook live.

"I will bring back that form of unifying for leadership in the country," he added.

The Partido Federal earlier endorsed Marcos for the presidential race in 2022. DMS