A little over a year after winning the May 2022 elections, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the residents of Kalibo, Aklan on Friday to personally express his heartfelt gratitude for their heartwarming support and trust in his administration.

“Una sa lahat, nais ko pong gamitin ang pagkakataong ito upang magpasalamat sa inyo sa malaking ambag sa aking pagkapanalo noong nakaraang eleksyon,” President Marcos said in his speech during the rice distribution event at the Augusto Legaspi Memorial Sports and Cultural Center in Kalibo Aklan,

“Hindi po madali lumangoy laban sa agos pero nanindigan po kayo para sa akin kaya’t kulang ang pasasalamat ko. Dahil diyan, ako po ang nanguna sa inyong lalawigan–kung kaya naman buong-puso at labis akong nagpapasalamat sa inyong tiwala at suporta at ang bawi lang — susuklian po namin ‘yan ng lahat ng aming maaaring gawin upang tulungan ang lahat ng mamamayang Pilipino upang pagandahin ang PIlipinas. Muli, maraming salamat sa inyo. Abu-gid nga salamat,” the President added.

The May 2022 presidential election was a sweeping landslide victory for President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte. In Kalibo Aklan, Marcos garnered 146,323 votes or 43.85 percent of the total registered voters in the province.

President Marcos led the distribution on Friday of at least 1,000 sacks of rice to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as part of the government’s efforts to combat hunger.

The rice distributed was part of the 42,180 sacks of rice seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Barangay Balisawan, Zamboanga City that were eventually donated to the DSWD after importers failed to defend the legality of their importation. PND