Voting underway in Philippines to pick next president

Voting is under way in the Philippines, with millions queuing across the islands to choose their next president.

The man tipped to win the presidency is Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the son of the nation's former dictator.

Polls suggest he may see a landslide victory, meaning the Marcos clan ousted by a people's revolt 36 years ago could reclaim power, BBC reports.

His main rival is Leni Robredo, a liberal who narrowly beat Marcos in the 2016 vice-presidential race.

A high turnout is expected of the nation's eligible 67.5 million voters - with many lining up pre-dawn on Monday to cast their votes at polling booths at schools and community centres.

There have been reports of ballot issues, with some voters at a school in Manila telling the BBC they were having trouble feeding their papers into the counting machines. Others reported that they were told to leave their votes with booth officials.

Local news site the Inquirer said over 1,800 machines - out of tens of thousands- had malfunctioned in the morning, but these had been "resolved" by midday according to the electoral commission.

Whoever wins Monday's presidential race will take over from Rodrigo Duterte, a hardliner who's come to the end of his six year term in office.

Duterte’s government has been condemned for its brutality in cracking down on drugs and crime, though the administration has always rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

Critics also say democratic institutions have come under attack in his presidency, pointing to the shutdown of Philippines' broadcaster ABS-CBN, a channel which - like other some other independent media outlets - has angered Duterte in the past.