Batac City, Ilocos Norte – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. cast his vote early Monday morning here at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School, accompanied by his mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and sister, Irene Marcos-Araneta.
The Marcos family’s presence underscored their enduring influence in Ilocos Norte, a province long considered their political bailiwick.
Ilocos Norte First District Representative and re-electionist Sandro Marcos later joined the president in the voting precinct.
The younger Marcos cast his vote at the Calayab Elementary School in Laoag City with his brothers and their mother First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
President Marcos finished shading his ballot in less than five minutes before encountering a minor technical issue that required him to re-feed his ballot into the ACM with assistance from Comelec personnel.
The Presidential Communications Office announced that President Marcos will return to Manila to monitor election results.
The result of the 2025 midterm elections is expected to shake the remaining three years of the Marcos administration and set the tone for the 2028 national elections.
Tensions have simmered in recent months between the Marcos administration and the Duterte’s camp following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and the growing rift between the president and the vice president.
The outcome of the midterm elections is also expected to influence the impeachment proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte, as a two-thirds majority in the Senate is required for conviction.
Both Marcos and Duterte have been actively campaigning for their respective allies, aiming to secure favorable positions in the Senate.
On February 5, 2025, the House of Representatives impeached VP Duterte, sending the articles to the Senate.
Her trial, related to the alleged misuse of at least P255 million in confidential funds during her time as Vice President and Secretary of Education, is scheduled to begin on July 3, following the Senate’s convening as an impeachment court on June 3.
Investigations have highlighted discrepancies in acknowledgment receipts and the rapid disbursement of P125 million in confidential funds in December 2022.