CAGAYAN – Thousands of supporters showed up during the provincial caravan of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Saturday, November 20, along Maharlika Highway, Magapit in Lal-lo, Cagayan.
Motorists from within the province also joined the “Cagayan for BBM Grand Provincial Caravan in support of Bongbong Marcos' which also caused heavy traffic along the highway.
Interviewed by the Manila Bulletin, Cagayan resident Jenelyn Ordioso of Jurisdiction, Lallo, Cagayan, said his relatives are sure to support the candidacy of the former senator.
“Kasi po maganda ang kalakaran ni Marcos during his term, kahit hindi ko po naabutan ang pamumuno niya pero ang pamilya ko po naranasan ang maginhawang buhay noong time ni FEM (Ex-president Ferndinand E. Marcos). Katulad ng libreng pakain, yung nutribun at murang bilihin po kaya loyalist po ang pamilya ko at mga ibang Ilocano sa Norte (Because Marcos had better management during his term, even though I wasn’t born yet during those times, my family had better lives during the time of FEM. Free food like nutribun and cheap prices so me and my family are all loyalists as well as other Ilocanos from the North),” said Ordioso.
Meantime, around 100,000 motorcycle riders wearing red shirts and holding flaglets dominated the Manila North Road in Laoag City on Sunday as a show of unity and support for presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (BBM).
In an interview, Maj. Eddie Puyat, police chief of Paoay town, said the Philippine National Police (PNP) initiated a traffic management plan and alerted all police units with the help of the Provincial Mobile Force Company and their force multipliers in the barangays to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and secure the participants.
While he admitted that it is hard to control a huge crowd particularly in terms of implementing health and safety protocols, Puyat appealed to all concerned participants to do their share in preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“The event went smoothly and it did not cause too much traffic because they have designated several pit stops,” Puyat said.
Organized by various riding groups, the Unity Ride that lasted seven hours started in Paoay town at 5:10 a.m. and passed through the towns of Currimao, Batac, San Nicolas, Sarrat and Laoag City.
According to Ryan Remigio of Team BBM Filipinas, over 100,000 individuals registered for the Ilocos activity which was also staged in various parts of the country including Bataan, Cavite, Abra, and La Union provinces.
A similar Unity Ride was held in Ilocos Sur last Nov. 7, drawing more or less 8,000 participants as claimed by organizers.
During the motorcade, some Ilocanos came out of their houses to cheer on the passing motorists while repetitively chanting, “BBM! BBM!" The elders likewise chanted, "Marcos, Marcos pa rin!" (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)