2023 BSKE: Bongbong Marcos votes in Ilocos Norte
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cast his vote at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Monday, October 30, 2023. Screengrab from RTVM livestream
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday cast his vote for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in his home province Ilocos Norte.
As seen on a Radio Television Malacañang live stream, Marcos made his way into the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City at 7:04 a.m. It is very same school where he cast his vote during the 2022 national elections.
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Marcos later said in an interview that the government aims to immediately ease tensions brought by the BSKE, especially since “it is held at the very intimate, personal level.”
“I always say that the, of all the elected officials, it’s the barangay officials who can actually tell you ‘I will deliver this many votes’. Kapag sinabi ng ibang barangay na magde-deliver ako sa’yo ng 350 votes dito sa aking barangay, asahan mo, 350 ‘yun, totoo ‘yun. Kaya’t napakahalaga ng resulta nito para sa aming mga politiko, napakahalaga ng resulta ng barangay elections,” he said.
(I always say that the, of all the elected officials, it’s the barangay officials who can actually tell you, “I will deliver these many votes.” When other barangays say that I will deliver you 350 votes here in my barangay, expect it, that’s 350, that’s true. So the result of this is very important for us politicians, the result of the barangay elections is very important.)
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“And that’s why ang sa aming assessment ay kung minsan nagiging napakainit ang barangay election dahil talagang crucial ‘yon (as) it is held at the very intimate, personal level. And that’s why nagkakainitan ng husto, kaya’t yun ang nais nating iwasan,” he added.
(And that’s why our assessment is that sometimes the barangay election becomes very heated because it is really crucial as it is held at the very intimate, personal level. And that’s why it gets so hot, that’s what we want to avoid.)
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