Sto Niño visit, job fair, medical mission mark Imelda’s 85th birthday

Guests fete the former first lady with the traditional Ilocano birthday greeting (Alaric Yanos photo)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Batac City—A mother’s unconditional love and affection for her children, this is what former first lady now Rep. Imelda Marcos (2^nd district, Ilocos Norte) wants to share with Ilocanos on her 85th birthday.

A training workshop for nurses and actual vision screening of children aged seven and below kicked off Mrs. Marcos’ birthday celebration. The former first lady requested the Philippine Eye Research Institute (PERI) to conduct the screening as she wanted highly specialized services for the children to prevent visual impairment and blindness at an early age.

With a develop-visual screening module designed to detect “lazy eye” among children, Dr. Leo Cubilla, PERI director, along with other doctors and researchers of the institute came to Ilocos Norte to train health workers assigned in various rural health units and Mothering Centers established by Mrs. Marcos in Ilocos Norte’s second district to provide “motherly care” to all residents in need, seven days a week.

“When we are born, we need to learn vision. There are cases when one cannot see unless it is corrected by glasses. The good news is, if you detect it early, you’ll be able to correct it and the eyes could see better but we have to do this before seven years of age,” Dr. Cubilla said.

Citing the importance of visual screening among children aged 7 and below, he said: “If we improve their sight, it will also improve their school performance.”

Visual screening kits were likewise given to public school teachers after they were trained how to use it with kindergarten and first graders.

According to the PERI director, the institute in partnership with the Department of Health, Department of Education and the Office of Rep. Marcos are now on the process of collaborating acts together to institutionalize the visual screening of Filipino children.

“In the future, we hope that this will be supported by a law so that it will become a national policy,” Dr. Cubilla added. 

Aside from this, volunteer doctors, nurses and other health providers joined in the free dental and medical mission at the Imelda Cultural Center here along with the provision of job fair, where applicants lined up with their resume.

Since July 1, Mrs. Marcos has been visiting her pet project—the 11 Mothering Centers, located in all the municipalities of the second district of Ilocos Norte including Batac City.

Rep. Imelda R. Marcos (Alaric Yanos photo)

Garbed in her fashionable red terno accessorized with jewelry, she said her wish on her birthday is to celebrate it with people she loves, along with her husband and children in the province.

“It’s always been my wish to spend my birthday here with, of course, Ferdinand, with my family and my love ones—the Ilocanos who has helped me in starting mothering centers here, to take care of the people 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And I hope to enlist this group of outstanding Ilocanos to start mothering centers all over the country to help the Filipino people. I am happy to be back to celebrate my 85^th birthday with my love ones!” she stressed.

Mrs. Marcos’ birthday also coincided with the visit of the Sto. Nino de Cebu in the province.

Mrs. Marcos with the Sto. Niño de Cebu (Alaric Yanos photo)

“I am so happy that the Cebuanos allowed the visit of the Santo Niño here. What a coincidence and blessing that it coincided with my birthday,” she added.

Sto. Nino de Cebu in Ilocos Norte

For eight days starting July 1, the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to various parishes in Ilocos Norte, starting in Paoay, Batac, San Nicolas and Laoag all the way to eastern and northern vicariates of the Diocese of Laoag. Event organizers had scheduled public venerations, novena and prayer vigil until midnight.

A program was also held at the Laoag City Centennial Arena for the re-enactment in songs and dances of the evangelization of the Philippines and concluded with the singing of the traditional Ilocano birthday song for Mrs. Marcos, attended by family, relatives and friends.

Former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson at the former first lady's birthday bash at the Centennial Arena (Alaric Yanos photo)

Cory Quirino at the former first lady's birthday bash at the Centennial Arena (Alaric Yanos photo)

The Diocese of Laoag led by Bishop Renato Mayugba is hoping the visit of the revered image will further strengthen the faith of the Ilocanos in God.

“We hope that this will increase their faith in God,” Mayugba said as the diocese prepared several activities to inspire and educate Ilocanos through songs and dances about the history of evangelization in the Philippines.

The visit of the Santo Nino de Cebu in several parts of the country, including Ilocos Norte is one of the religious and devotional rites for the nine-year preparatory celebration to mark the 500 years of Roman Catholicism in the country.