After enjoying a simple celebration tendered by Provincial Capitol employees on the occasion of her birthday, Governor Imee R. Marcos opted to work as usual and headed to the nearby town of San Nicolas where she attended the “Imee=Trabaho” job fair held at Robinson Mall on November 12.
Earlier that day, she heard a morning mass at the Carmelite Chapel near the Bishop’s Residence in Laoag City. Later, she had a simple luncheon party with the Capitol employees who handed her gift of roses as they sang an Ilocano birthday song. (Most of the employees were partly clad in red-dress).
“Ako’y nagpapasalamat sa inyo sa tiyaga at pagtitiis habang ako’y natututo bilang local government executive,” she said.
“Pumapasok tayo sa akin ikalawang term at marami tayong trabaho na gagawin. Ito ang productive term ng bawat official,” (As we enter my second term [as governor], we have a lot of work to do. It is the productive term for every official), she added.
She also expressed thanks for the “blessings and graces” received by the Province of Ilocos Norte amid disaster such as the Typhoon Vinta which severely damaged the province’s agricultural crops and infrastructure projects.
She said that the province is lucky for having been spared from horrific disaster like the super Typhoon Yolanda which ruined the Visayas last Friday.
“Malaking simpatya para sa lahat ng kalunos-lunos na biktima na tinamaan ng bagyo…Sana manatiling maswerte ang Ilocos Norte at bilang pasasalamat, magtrabaho tayo,” Governor Imee said, enjoining her provincemates to become more prepared for any disaster that may come.
Asked about her relatives in Leyte who suffered same fate with thousands of people there as calamity victims, she said, “Actually three days naming hindi na-contact yung mga pinsan ko. Salamat naman at ligtas sila.”
Governor Imee is cousin of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez. He and his wife, Tacloban City councilor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez were reportedly almost killed by the storm surge.
“Magpapadala tayo (sa Leyte) kahit kaunti though hanggang ngayon, naguguluhan pa rin tayo kung ano talaga ang gagawin,” she said.
“Tuwang-tuwa tayo dahil ngayon tayo’y napagbigyan ngunit signos din ito na dapat tayo’y magsumikap,” she said.
Asked about her birthday wish, she uttered with a smile: “Patatagin ang pamilyang Ilocano!”(Grazielle Mae A. Sales/pgin-cmo)
