No Solid North vote for Bongbong Marcos, says FVR’s sis

ASINAN, Pangasinan-- Despite being a relative of the Marcoses, former senator Leticia Ramos Shahani believes there is no such thing as a "Solid North" voting bloc for Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Shahani on Wednesday disputed the existence of a pro-Marcos Ilocano vote as she threw her support behind the candidacies of Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero.

The former senator endorsed Poe and Escudero during their sortie here on Wednesday.

Shahani told reporters not all Ilocano voters will choose Marcos for vice president in the May 9 polls.

"There is no solid vote North, I beg your pardon," she told reporters.

"I am an Ilocano and Marcos was my second cousin—Ferdinand Marcos is my second cousin, but it does not mean that automatically, we’ll vote Marcos," Shahani added.

The so-called Solid North is composed of provinces in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Latest data from the Commission on Elections show there are more than 5.7 million registered voters in the three regions.

Recalling the country's experience under Martial Law, the former senator believes many of Marcos' fellow Ilocanos are averse to the possibility that authoritarian rule might be imposed again in the future.

"We have other priorities and I think an experience under Martial Law was not good and I hope it does not come back again. And I’m sure many Ilocanos share that hope and wish that we will have no Martial Law, and that no other Ilocano will declare it again over our country," she said.

The younger Marcos is now statistically tied with Escudero for the top spot in the most recent vice presidential surveys. —NB, GMA News