SOLID NORTH | Marcos family raring to repay Ilocano, Filipino support with service

May 21, 2019 , 12:11 PM

By Dale De Vera

May 21, 2019 – Newly elected Ilocos Norte governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc hardly broke a sweat to win the province’s highest post.

But if the 29-year old scion of the Marcos family would have his way, the landslide victory may be sweeter sans the “unopposed” tag.

“It may be better with an opponent because at least there was a choice made,” Manotoc said, moments after he was proclaimed governor of their family’s bailiwick, along with other relatives who ran in other positions.

Manotoc, a provincial board member, tallied 260,938 votes to secure the governorship, taking over the reins from her mother Imee who is set to become the third Marcos senator of the republic.

Imee’s youngest son was supposed to battle Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas, but the long-time lawmaker withdrew his candidacy a few days before the elections, giving Matthew an open lane to the provincial capital. Yet even if Farinas stayed in the contest, the grandson of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos is likely to dominate anyway, based on pre-election surveys.

“It blows me away, everyday. Sometimes I ask myself, why are Ilocanos like this? Why do they, why are they so loyal to my family?,” he quipped.

He believes the only way to repay the Ilocanos’ support is to continue serving them, even outside the election season.

“That’s why we are here, that’s why I am here, because we are so thankful of Ilocanos for their faith, trust and love for our family,” he said.

Matthew admitted he was initially reluctant to run as governor, a fact he did not mention in past interviews.

“This is a bit bizarre for me because I never imagined myself in this position, I never planned it, it just happened,” he said, adding that his brothers Borgy and Mark could have been more likely to join politics.

Yet there is no denying that politics is in the Marcos DNA, given the result of the local polls. Matthew’s aunt Cecile Araneta-Marcos emerged as vice governor after substituting for her husband Mariano “Nonong” Marcos II who died of heart attack.

Vice governor Eugenio Marcos Barba, Matthew’s uncle, won as second district representative, replacing former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Michael Keon, another Marcos relative, snared the Laoag City mayoralty post, which the Farinas clan has held on for decades. Keon was known for heading the “Gintong Alay” project to help Filipino athletes during the latter years of the Marcos administration.

The biggest spotlight, however, is now focused on Matthew’s mom Imee. The outgoing Ilocos Norte governor weathered campaign intrigues surrounding her educational background among others to secure the eight spot in the Senate race.

For the incoming governor, the Filipino people have left the bitter past of the Marcos regime behind. And in moving on, has gifted her mother with their electoral support.

“She’s a very intelligent woman and works extremely hard and I think many people know that. That includes our detractors and perhaps it’s a reminder that many Filipinos have also grown nostalgic of the times past, including my grandfather’s,” Matthew explained.

As of today, Imee has garnered 15,732,733 votes. She was number 1 in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Abra, Apayao, Benguet and Kalinga. Imee was also second in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya, third in Quirino and Mountain Province, and fourth in Pangasinan and Ifugao, respectively, to mark the unwavering political support of the “Solid North.”

Imelda for her part urged the people to unite towards rebuilding the nation, a dream her husband longed to see for the country.

“We start first by uniting here in Batac, let’s be one. Then let’s be one in Ilocos Norte, let’s be one with the country. Let us be one with the world because it is only when we are one that we can move forward and really make this nation great again,” she said.

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.