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| Ilocos Norte governor Imee R. Marcos joins the Marcos loyalists camped out at the Supreme Court after the Kailian March (Alaric Yanos) |
Manila—Ilocos Norte governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos
joined the Marcos loyalists in the prayer vigil in front of the Supreme Court.
The prayer vigil is being
undertaken as they await the High Tribunal’s decision on the burial of former
Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The vigil also concluded the
“Kailian March” that began in Paoay, Ilocos Norte.
Shouts of "Marcos pa
rin! Marcos idi, Marcos ita, Marcos latta!" [Marcos then, Marcos now,
Marcos always!] were heard from the supporters throughout the start of the
rally.
Ms. Marcos, eldest daughter
of the former president, thanked them on behalf of the family, “Nais kong ipahiwatig ang damdamin ng aking
pamilya mula sa puso ng aking nanay, [I want to express the feelings of my
family, from the heart of my mother] si Congresswoman
Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, si Apo
Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ Marcos, Irene Marcos-Araneta, lahat ng pamilya ko, nagpapasalamat kami sa lahat na nakikiramay,
nakikisama, at nakikisigaw dito sa [all of my family members thank all
of you for being here at the] Supreme Court.
She further thanked those who
took part in and carried out the “#IlibingNa” signature campaign which was able
to gather over 1.6 million signatures, as well as President Rodrigo R. Duterte,
who has been vocal about being for FM’s burial since the presidential campaign
period and who had been in Ilocos Norte for the launch of
the “Kailian March”.
The March kicked off through
unity masses held at the San Agustin Church in Paoay and the St. John the
Baptist Parish Church in Badoc.
They arrived in San Fernando
City, La Union at 2:30am the following day, holding a mass at the Tomb of the
Unknown Solder to honor soldier of the Second World War whose remains were
never identified nor found.
Mariano R. Marcos, father of
the late president, was one such soldier.
Upon arriving at the
neighboring Province of Pangasinan, more Marcos supporters met and united with
the convoy.
A mass and candle-lighting
ceremony were then held at Villasis in Pangasinan “to show our support to the
forthcoming burial of our President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga
Bayani, and in recognition to his great contribution to the people of
Pangasinan," Philip Terry, coordinator of Bayanihan Bayan Movers
Pangasinan Organization of Genuine Inhabitants (BBM-POGI).
Participants reported
heightened security and military escorts as they approached the boundary
between Pangasinan and Tarlac, and the group rerouted straight to Clark,
Pampanga, to bypass Hacienda Luisita, where alleged troublemakers were reported
to have been waiting.
While intending to hold
masses in Pampanga and Bulacan, heavy rain and strong winds from typhoon Karen
[Sarika] resulted in the cancellation of these activities to avoid compromising
the safety of local residents who had wanted to attend.
The convoy arrived in Metro
Manila at around 5:00pm October 16.
"Kaunting [a few] volunteers lang ang nag-umpisa ng [started the] Kailian March hanggang ito'y dumami nang dumami [until
the numbers swelled]," shared Domingo Ambrocio, president of the
Philippine Councilors League−Ilocos Norte Chapter.
Neil Joaz Lagundino of the
Sirib Ilokano Kabataan Association (SIKA) shared at today's program, "Sa haba ng aming paglalakbay, sana sa
pamamagitan ng aming hirap at pagdarasal ay maipagkaloob na ang kapayapaan sa
ating bansa. [Hopefully, our long journey and through our hardship and
prayers, we will attain peace in our country]."
Ms. Marcos also echoed pro-libing [burial] citizens' call for
unity, "Nagmamakaawa tayo sa ating [We
are begging our] Supreme Court na
sana buksan ang kalooban at kaisipan sa katotohanan na ito ay isang pagkakataon
upang mapawi ang hidwaan, alitan, at away-away sa ating lipunan [we hope
they open their hearts and minds to the truth that this is an opportunity to
erase rivalries, quarrels and conflicts in our society]”. (PGIN-CMO)
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