MANILA, Philippines — The “warm” welcome received by the Marcos siblings during the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City proved that the support of northern Luzon residents to the family has never wavered, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said.
“There’s a little bit of brouhaha pero sa palagay ko, it was more of a wake-up call dahil napakatindi pa pala ng ‘Solid North.’ Meron pa pala kahit papaano,” Marcos said during a media forum Wednesday.
“Solid North” refers to the strong electoral support of the northern Luzon provinces to the Marcoses, especially the Ilocos Region—the bailiwick of the family.
She likened the “warm” response of the Panagbenga crowd to children coming finally home.
“Nagulat ata ang mga tao na buhay pa pala ‘yung ‘Solid North’ na kay tagal tagal nang panahon, kung ano-ano ang nangyari. Pero pagyakap sa amin ng mga Ilocano, mga taga-Baguio, taga-Nueva Vizcaya, mga taga kung saan saan, eh talagang napakainit,” Marcos said.
The governor and her brother, Bongbong, were criticized for politicking the annual Baguio City flower festival.
According to a Sun Star Baguio report, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan described the appearance of the siblings during the parades as “unfortunate.”
Newly established artists and media alliance Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity also slammed the Marcoses for “ruining” Panagbenga 2018.
“Panagbenga is not an ordinary parade. It is not a private event where organizers led by a city councilor could whimsically decide to politicize and turn into a funeral wreath event,” LODI said.
It added: “Neither is Panagbenga a parade celebrating, forgetting or hiding the plunder of Cordillera under the Marcos dictatorship when foreign-owned projects grabbed and violated Igorots’ ancestral domain.”