As of Tuesday afternoon (local time) it's looking like an absolute blowout, with 64-year-old senator Marcos Jr. gaining more than 97% of the votes, with closest contender current Vice President Leni Robredo not even close, and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in a far distant third.

A separate vice presidential race will see daughter of outgoing strongman ruler Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte - who is mayor of southern Davao city, cinch victory and form the new administration with Bongbong.

Many outside observers are dubbing the landslide win a hugely symbolic crushing reversal of the 1986 "People Power" pro-democracy revolt that ousted original strongman Ferdinand Marco.

Opposition activists are quickly crying foul with the landslide results. The group called Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, or CARMMA, decried: "A possible win based on a campaign built on blatant lies, historical distortions and mass deception is tantamount to cheating your way to victory." It's statement said, "This is not acceptable."

However, the BBC observes that "Turnout on voting day was high and previous elections in the country have largely been ruled to be fair. Isolated incidents of violence - including the shooting of three people near a polling station - were not reflected widely across the country, officials said." Opinion polls leading up to the election consistently predicted a blowout on election day in favor of Marco.

Mainstream pundits in the West, including in The Washington Post, are saying the election captures the Philippine public's "nostalgia for strongmen" over desire for democracy. And the BBC highlights that Marcos Jr. campaigned on the idea of a 'crime-free' "golden age" for the country: