Former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — “Support Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio if you will support me,” presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appealed to voters during his visit to his home turf, Ilocos Norte, on behalf of his running mate.
The former senator, who spoke before an estimated 10,000 supporters at the Paoay Sand Dunes, reminisced about his earlier days in Ilocos Norte.
Then he said he was the “luckiest” presidential candidate for having Duterte-Carpio as his running mate, whom he called the “most competent.”
Later in his speech, Marcos pointed out that, in previous administrations, when a president and vice president did not see eye to eye, nothing was achieved.
“So it’s very important that we elect the president we should also give that president someone who would help and work — not someone who will fight but will do everything to ensure everything we do will be successful,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“And that is my wish from you: If you will give your support to me, it is really necessary that you also include your support for our vice president, Mayor Inday Sara,” he added.
As in his previous speeches, Marcos stuck to his call for unity, which he said was no longer just a message but rather a movement.
He stressed the narrative of his tandem with Duterte-Carpio, who hails from Davao City — the “unity” of the North and Mindanao.
“That’s why I’m asking for support from those I love — your help in the coming elections for my candidacy as president,” Marcos said.
“But I’m adding my plea for your help in giving me a partner who would help, who would be behind me, who could be relied on, trusted. And that’s none other than Vice President Sara Duterte,” he added.
His call for support — especially in his home turf — could be beneficial for Duterte-Carpio. In 2016, Ilocos Norte backed his vice presidential bid, giving him over 297,000 votes.
For context, his opponent, Leni Robredo placed second in that province, getting only around 3,600 votes.
Duterte-Carpio’s father, President Rodrigo Duterte, also won in Ilocos Norte in the 2016 presidential elections.
The Marcos-Duterte camp is confident that it will get the support of Ilocos Norte as well as other provinces in Northern Luzon, or the so-called “Solid North,” though critics say it no longer exists.
On May 9, election day, that issue could be settled.
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