Marcos to Tacloban crowd: Imelda really wanted to come but there might still be COVID-19

TACLOBAN CITY— Former First Lady Imelda Marcos would have loved to be here to attend the campaign rally of her son Ferdinand Marcos Jr. but had to stay away because of COVID-19, the presidential candidate said in his speech.

The 92-year-old widow of the late former dictator Ferdinand Marcos hailed from Leyte, where the presidential candidate campaigned on Saturday.

“Masarap talagang makauwi ulit dito sa Tacloban at kayo’y makasama ng ganito. Alam niyo dito sa Tacloban City, itong ganitong pagsasama, ang tawag lamang dito mini rally,” Marcos said.

The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) estimated the crowd at 210,000.

Tacloban City, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, had a population of over 250,000 in 2020.

“Alam ninyo siguradong nanonood ng livestream ang aking Ina, kamustahin natin si Imelda. ‘Hello Imelda!’," Marcos told the rally.

"Gustong gusto niya sanang sumama pero alam mo na baka may COVID pa, magingat muna siya pero lahat ay pinapanood kaya lahat kayo nakikita ng mother ko at I’m sure tuwang tuwa ‘yan na makita ang kanyang mga kababayan,” he added.

Marcos also said he was emotional after seeing a mammoth crowd in Tacloban singing the national anthem.

He was elated as supporters of the BBM-Sara UniTeam still attended his campaign rally despite the heavy rains due to the weather disturbance in the Visayas region.

“Sabi ko na nga ba ang mga Taclobanon, hindi tinatalaban ng ulan. Bumuhos na ‘yung tubig, bumuhos na ‘yung ulan, mas uminit pa dahil sa salubong na ibinigay niyo sa amin,” Marcos said.

“Ngayon lang ako nakarinig, medyo naluha ako dahil ngayon ko lang narining ang Pambansang Awit na kinanta ng ganitong karaming tao. Ipinapaalala sa atin kung gaano natin kamahal ang bansang Pilipinas at lahat ng mamamayang Pilipino,” he added.

Before visiting Tacloban, Marcos also wooed residents of Baybay City and Ormoc City where he got endorsements from local officials.

Marcos’ running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, was not able to join the Samar-Leyte sorties as they have agreed to split up so they could revisit more areas and reach out to other communities ahead of the May 9 elections. —NB, GMA News