Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for president on Wednesday, seeking to succeed his father, who ruled the country for more than two decades.

"I don't have any fight with VP (Vice President) Leni (Robredo). I am running for president, I am not fighting against anyone. Senator Ping (Lacson) is filing as we speak, so it's not going to be that kind of elections. There are many of us. I would not file my COC if I was not ready to campaign, if I was not ready to answer all your questions. I am ready to answer your questions and I am ready to campaign," Marcos said shortly after filing his COC at the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent in Pasay City.

In 2016, Marcos and Robredo were the front-runners in the vice presidential election, which was won by the latter with just over 200,000 votes.

The Supreme Court (SC) sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) dismissed Marcos' electoral protest against Robredo in February. The Marcos camp has filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court.

When asked about his running mate, the former lawmaker stated that they were planning to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte, but everything changed when the Chief Executive announced over the weekend that he will retire from politics after his term expires in June next year.

"Well right now, I filed under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and as of now, we have not, no one has a field for VP under PFP and I'll be very candid with you the reason why that is, is that the original plan was for us to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte for our VP candidate, but from what happened last Saturday, all plans changed. Now, we will consult, the party and of course all our other colleagues on what to do and what do we do now and so that is where it is," he added.

Marcos was accompanied by his wife, Louise, and their two sons, Ferdinand Alexander and Joseph Simon.

Marcos formally declared his intention to run for president in next year's elections on Tuesday.

Marcos stated that he hopes to unite all Filipinos in pursuit of a common vision and goal, particularly given the country's current challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.