CEBU CITY — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday returned to Cebu for the first time after the 2022 national elections, bringing with him a slew of projects for one of the most populous and vote-rich areas in the country.

Marcos Jr. launched the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” market — a program similar to the “Kadiwa ng Pasko” bazaars — at the Provincial Capitol Grounds, and thanked Cebuanos for their support.

“Ito na ang unang pagkakataon na magpasalamat ako sa Cebu sa pagbibigay ng suporta ninyo sa amin ni Inday Sara,” the President said in his speech.

“It was history making, you were part of that history and for that I will always be grateful for the rest of my life,” he said.

Like other Kadiwa markets, the bazaar in Cebu sold products from micro, small and medium enterprises at cheaper prices.

“Gagawa pa kami ng Kadiwa para sa mga Manggagawa para sila din ay magkaroon ng pagkakataon,” he said.

“Patuloy naming gagawin ito, pararamihin natin, palalakihin natin lalo na sa mga lugar na hirap ang tao at hindi pa kaya ang presyuhan sa mga palengke,” he said.

(We will launch Kadiwa para sa mga Manggagawa so that they will also have a chance. We will expand this to areas where people are struggling with the prices of goods.) 

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia noted that Marcos Jr. enjoyed a wide lead in the Philippines’ most vote-rich province during the presidential race. 

“In a magnificent show of force, the entire island of Cebu delivered the highest number of votes to Ferdinand Marcos Jr… It set the highest record for the highest number of votes given to a candidate even way back during the time of President Quezon,” she said.

Garcia, whose daughter serves as Marcos Jr.’s Tourism Secretary, noted that late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. also won in Cebu in the 1969 presidential race despite running against former Cebu Governor Sergio Osmeña Jr.

“Since then… it seemed Cebu became a difficult province, island to be reckoned with especially in the presidential elections,” she said.

Garcia thanked Marcos Jr. for returning to Cebu and for approving the “final transfer of Camp Lapu-Lapu back to the Cebuanos.”

After the Kadiwa launch, Marcos then proceeded to the Fuente Osmeña Circle for the groundbreaking ceremony of Cebu's bus rapid transit project, a P16.3 billion initiative scheduled to be fully operational by 2025.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama led the local officials attending the ceremony, acknowledging his political rival and former mayor Tomas Osmeña who he credited as a pioneer of the project.

Marcos Jr. was also slated to attend the launch of a housing project in Cebu City and a relief drive in neighboring Mandaue City.

“The President knows how to be grateful. In a symbolic gesture and a most meaningful one, the first ever ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’ in the entire country will be launched in Cebu,” Garcia said.

“This is one of the many collaborations that Cebu and our dearly beloved President will work on,” she added.

Cebu delivered some 1 million votes for Marcos Jr. in May 2022. 

His top rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo, got around 300,000 votes from Cebuanos.

Full story here: https://tinylinkurl.com/eVyxY