Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc on Wednesday assured the tandem of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte of “solid” support, not just from the province but from the entirety of Ilocandia.
This developed as Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) President and House Majority Leader Martin G. Romualdez expects the show of support for the BBM-Sara UniTeam to reach a fever pitch as the “Mahalin Natin Ang Pilipinas Ride” rolled over to Ilocos Norte yesterday.
“We thank them, we welcome them and or course we pledge our support to the BBM-Sara slate entirely, and although Ilocos Norte is a province that doesn’t have that many voters, but our vote is always solid. And I’m sure Ilocandia’s vote is solid for the BBM-Sara ticket,” Manotoc said in an ambush interview at Bergblick Restaurant in Pagudpud town.
Manotoc is the nephew of leading presidential candidate Marcos, standard-bearer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP). Ilocos Norte is the home province of the Marcos clan.
On Wednesday afternoon, vice presidential candidate Duterte arrived in Pagudpod to do sorties ahead of the big rally planned for the BBM-Sara UniTeam tandem later in the day in Paoay.
“Firstly, we thanks my Uncle Bong, our former senator Bongbong Marcos and Mayor Inday Sara Duterte for coming and not taking Ilocos Norte or Ilocandia for granted,” the governor said.
“We know that we expect votes to pour for them here, but they still showed up to show their support for our kakailian, our fellow Ilocanos,” he added.
“The support for UniTeam that we saw recently in Isabela and Cagayan was awe-inspiring and we thank the local residents for that. But we’re now here in Ilocos Norte and this will no doubt be mind-blowing in terms of the outpouring of support,” Romualdez said.
Before this, the UniTeam pair made stops in Pagudpod, Bangui, Burgos, and Pasuquin, among other locations, to meet local folk and consolidate the backing of officials ahead of the May 2022 elections.
“This is what Solid North is all about. The Marcos name has captured the Ilocano vote; nothing is more formidable here and at the same time more loved by Filipinos in the region,” noted Romualdez.
“Add to this equation the ‘Eagle of Mindanao’ in Mayor Inday Sara, who brings her proven track record as Davao chief executive and her father’s legacy of service. This team is unbeatable, and all our fellow Filipinos need to do is to unite with them,” said the Leyte 1st District representative.
The MNPR, which Duterte kicked off in Davao at the start of February, is primarily meant to spread the BBM-Sara tandem’s message of unity. Marcos and Duterte believe unity will be the key factor in collectively pulling Filipinos out of the muck that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.