Bongbong expected to announce presidential bid in Pangasinan

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to declare his presidential candidacy in Mangaldan town in Pangasinan on Sunday.

The scheduled visit of Marcos to Mangaldan to renew ties with the Pangasinenses and feel the pulse of the people could be the right time for him to officially announce his candidacy, according to Oliver Lozano, spokesman for the newly formed coalition of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) and Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka (PMM).

The general sentiment of people in the solid North is for Marcos to run for president next year, he added.

“The son and namesake of the late President Ferdinand Marcos is expected to formally announce his candidacy for president during the gathering ” in Pangasinan, Vicente Millora and Jose Malvar Villegas, chairman and president of Pagkakaisa ng mga Pilipino Para sa Pilipinas (PPP), told The STAR in separate interviews.  

“Senator Marcos is definitely running as president, not vice president, it’s just a matter of time, we are preparing for the big event,” Millora said.

PPP, a coalition of KBL and PMM, has filed a petition for registration at the Commission on Elections (Comelec ) as duly registered political party for the 2016 presidential election.

Marcos loyalists see the Mangaldan visit of Marcos as a sign of good luck and prosperity for the solid North.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the nickname of Senator Marcos is part of the traditional life of the people in Mangaldan,” a Marcos loyalist told The STAR.

Marcos loyalists hope that the Marcos visit will be the first salvo for their political battle in 2016.