Miriam Santiago, Bongbong Marcos to kick off campaign in Ilocos Norte

BATAC, Ilocos Norte - Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. are set to kick off their campaign for the May elections in Batac, Ilocos Norte, the hometown of Marcos' father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., on Tuesday.

Marcos and Santiago are set to hold a proclamation rally at the Imelda Cultural Center in Batac.

Expanded and re-inaugurated last year, the multi-million cultural center named after former First Lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, is the premier sports and events venue in Ilocos Norte.

Right after the kick-off rally, Santiago and Marcos Jr. are set to visit the Marcos Mansion, located a few blocks from the cultural center.

While Defensor is set to go back to Metro Manila on the same day, Marcos Jr. will continue campaigning in northern Luzon for the rest of the week.

On Wednesday, Marcos Jr. will campaign in Vigan City and other municipalities of Ilocos Sur.  On Thursday, he will head for La Union. Marcos is also set to hold sorties in Pangasinan on Friday and Saturday before heading back to Metro Manila.

The Ilocos Region is the bailiwick of the Marcos clan. The Marcos family also enjoys strong support in other Ilocano-speaking provinces, such as in Isabela.

But while Marcos Jr. is prepared to start campaigning, a group of martial law victims has just launched what they dubbed as the “Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang” or CARMMA.

“CARMMA aims to torpedo the VP aspiration of Bongbong Marcos through public information and mass actions,” the group explained in a Facebook post.

The group promised to “hound Marcos wherever he goes”, and they will try to maximize their “exposure” on the tri-media (print, radio and television) as well as on the new media or the internet.

The group said the target of their campaign was to educate the public, especially the youth, on the human-rights abuses prevalent during Marcos presidency and the infamous martial-law era. — Elizabeth Marcelo/DVM/KBK, GMA News