10/05/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ | ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ฒ๐
In politics, irony is not uncommon. But in Laoag Cityโs heated mayoral race, it is reaching disconcerting levelsโparticularly with the actions and statements coming from the camp of incumbent Mayor Michael Marcos Keon.
Keon's camp, including the Fariรฑases who are now his allies, has recently gone public with accusations that their rivals in Team Marcos Laoag are engaging in vote-buying. They even engaged Rappler, the online media outlet best known for its biased and exaggerated, if not outlandish, reporting. Yet, in a twist steeped in hypocrisy, the very same Michael Keon has himself been issued a Show Cause Order by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for alleged vote-buying in Barangay 48-A Cabungaan.
The details are damning: a barangay kagawad was caught with Keon campaign materials stapled to โฑ1,000 bills, arrested by police after the materials were found in plain view. The Comelec cited potential violations of election laws and has given Keon a non-extendible deadline to explain.
This is not political noise. This is backed by police reports, Comelec rules, and factual documentation. Yet instead of addressing the substance of the issue, Keon diverts attentionโcrying foul, blaming conspiracies, and warning against a curfew that he claims could โsuppress voter turnout.โ
But the irony deepens. It is Keon himself who has been repeatedly caught on video disrupting peaceโshouting at events, stirring tension, and causing public scenes unbecoming of a sitting mayor. His behavior, not that of his opponents, has escalated the heat in this election.
He claims he is being denied police protection, yet law enforcement has consistently provided ground security to all candidates. When a public official starts expecting personal loyalty instead of institutional fairness, it reflects more on their entitlement than on any alleged neglect or harrasment.
Even in the barangays, disrespect has followed him. In one instance, despite being civilly received by a barangay captain who does not support him, Keonโs wife Monette was caught on video loudly jeering โplastic! plastic!โ toward the host. This pettiness speaks volumes about the culture of arrogance that has festered in Keonโs camp.
And now, the ultimate rejection: Michael Keon is not supported by the Marcosesโincluding President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. himself. They have made it clear that they would rather support a good, capable, non-relative than a family member who has become an embarrassmentโinefficient, self-absorbed, and lacking any clear vision for Laoagโs future.
As the official campaign period ends today, we ask: What has Keon really offered the people of Laoag?
Not platforms. Not unity. Not hope. But a campaign built on theatrics, deception, and arrogance.
He lied that the Laoag City Public Market would be demolished or transferred if his rival winsโa blatant falsehood. In truth, candidate Alcid has clearly stated that his goal is to improve the marketโto make it cleaner, more orderly, and more comfortable for both vendors and consumers. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Alcid knows what it takes to help small businesses thrive, and he has laid out plans to strengthen support for market vendors.
Keon's camp has also resorted to race-baiting, ridiculing Alcid and his vice mayoral running mate, Handy Lao, for being โChineseโโas though they are outsiders. This is both ignorant and offensive. Both Alcid and Lao were born and raised in Ilocos Norte, speak fluent Ilocano, and have established successful businesses that employ many locals. The have never lived in any other country. Keon has never publicly cautioned his supporters from making racial slurs.
Meanwhile, Keon, who lived in Australia for many years, can barely speak the local language. His efforts are laughably out of touchโโmake tanggalโ and โmake bantayโ like that of a conyo kolehiyala.
The people of Laoag must not be fooled by noise. They must see through the drama, the entitlement, and the tired theatrics of a man clinging to a name, but abandoned by the very family that gave it to him.
Mayor Michael Marcos Keon is under investigation for vote-buying. His campaign is collapsing under the weight of its own lies. And the people deserve the truth.
Laoag City deserves leadership grounded in integrity, not spectacle. Action, not accusation. Truth, not theater.
When Keonโs camp doesnโt get what it wants, they lash outโshouting with a blend of entitlement and rage: โIsuna pay lat' mayor ti Laoag!โ (He is still the mayor of Laoag!)
Yes, he is still the mayor. And for that, we say: Poor Laoag.
But hopefully, not for long.
This Monday, May 12, the choice is clear.
