MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. cast his vote Monday for the 2022 national elections in his bailiwick Ilocos Norte.
The presidential candidate arrived at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City at around 7:20 a.m. He was accompanied by his sister, Irene and his son, Sandro, who is running for 1st district representative in the province.
Sandro will be voting in Laoag City.
Marcos Jr. was also with his nephew, Matthew Marcos Manotoc, who is seeking reelection as Ilocos Norte governor against veteran politician Rudy Fariñas.
Sandro is seeking to unseat Ria, Rudy’s daughter, for the 1st district seat.
Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. enters Mariano Marcos Memorial Memorial Elementary School around 7 a.m. together with son Sandro, sister Irene, and reelectionist Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc. (JOHN MICHAEL MUGAS)
After leaving the school, Marcos Jr. made a short stop at Immaculate Conception Parish.
Marcos Jr., son of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., announced his presidential bid in October 5, 2021 under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).
Members of the media wait for presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. outside his poll precinct at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City, Ilocos Norte where he is expected to cast his vote this morning. (JOHN MICHAEL MUGAS)
In announcing his presidential bid, Marcos Jr. said he will “bring that form of unifying leadership back to our country.”
This call for unity would be a recurring message in Marcos Jr.’s speeches—from his proclamation rally in the Philippine Arena on the first day of campaign period in February all the way to his miting de avance in Paranaque City on the last day of campaign on May 7.
Marcos Jr.’s first crack at politics was when he became Ilocos Norte’s vice-governor at the age of 23 in 1980 while his father ruled the country under martial law.
He was elected governor in 1983 until his father’s presidency was toppled and the family was forced to live in exile in Hawaii in 1986 as a result of the Edsa People Power revolution.
In 1992, Marcos won as representative of Ilocos Norte’s second district. From 1998-2007, he served as governor of Ilocos Norte anew.
He returned to Congress in 2007 before he ran and won a seat in the Philippine Senate in 2010. He also vied for the vice presidential seat in 2016 but lost. (with a report from John Michael Mugas)