President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. attended on Friday the “Tan-ok ni Ilocano: Festival of Festivals,” his hometown’s biggest cultural festival.
The festival was held on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Edsa People Power revolution that ousted the regime of Marcos’s father and namesake, late President Marcos Sr.
Marcos arrived at the venue, the newly refurbished Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag City, at around 6:45 p.m.
He is joined by his son, House Deputy Speaker Sandro Marcos.
Some 20,000 individuals are expected to troop to the stadium to watch performers from Ilocos Norte’s 21 towns and two cities.
The festival, which means the “Greatness of Ilocano,” was launched in 2011 during the administration of then-governor and now-senator Imee Marcos.
It was aimed at reviving “cultural pride and Ilokano identity by focusing on narrative-driven presentations produced by local creatives.”
The festival resumed after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcos earlier declared Friday, Feb. 24, as a special non-working holiday to to create a long weekend for the 37th year commemoration of the peaceful 1986 Edsa uprising.
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