ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines – In this era of a Marcos rule, a younger Fariñas is trying to keep the middle ground in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, making a new impression on locals used to seeing Fariñases in some kind of a political conflict, whether it’s infighting within the family, or bickering with the Marcoses.
Carlos Fariñas, the city’s 40-year-old first-termer vice mayor seeking reelection against a Team Marcos opponent, said he can get along with all feuding sides. He works well with re-electionist mayor Michael Marcos Keon, he added, and has “close communication” with outgoing Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc. The Marcos family has dropped Keon a second time in a heated mayoral race between the estranged cousin and Team Marcos’ pick, businessman Bryan Alcid.
Keon and his nephew Manotoc have made public tirades against each other since 2019 when both were installed as Laoag City mayor and governor respectively. Fariñas won his first term as vice mayor in 2022, the survivor of a Fariñas wipeout by the Marcoses that year.
“Natatawa nga ako in a way na parang I realize life is too short to have enemies. So, makiusap ka lang na maigi sa kanila, wala ka naman issues,” Fariñas, a barangay captain before being vice mayor, told Rappler in an interview from his uncle’s hotel Java, one of the family businesses in the city that include a bus line. (I am amused in a way that I realize life is too short to have enemies. So if you just talk to them properly, you won’t have issues.)
In the 2025 elections, the Marcoses will keep their rule of Ilocos Norte intact — Sandro as 1st District representative, Angelo Marcos Barba as 2nd District Representative, Cecilia Araneta Marcos poised to win as governor, and Manotoc as vice governor. The Fariñases are not putting up a contest in those seats.
“Kung bakit hindi na sila tumakbo kasi ‘yung pressure na nagawa sa amin noon last election, ‘yun mga police, harassment, ang daming raid na nagagawa sa amin, mga kapitan natin na leaders na napapadalhan sila ng mga bala. Parang may mga na-trauma na,” said Fariñas.
“Parang ang hirap na ulitin na naman yun. So mabilis lang naman ang parang tatlong taon, natapos na. Sino naman foolish enough to challenge a sitting president, senator, lahat na sila, parang it’s not worth it. Tingnan na lang natin ang palad ng lubong kung papalarin,” said Fariñas.
(Why they didn’t run now because of the pressure on us last election, the police, the harassment, so many raids were done on us, our captain leaders were sent bullets. They were traumatized. It’s hard to do that again now. Three years is quick, look it’s over again now. Who is foolish enough to challenge a sitting president, a senator, all of them, it seems it’s not worth it. Let’s just see what the world destines for us.)
He leads the Team Fariñas slate, which includes brother and cousins for Laoag City council and provincial board. Fariñas is running against Team Marcos’ Handy Lao, a longtime councilor and provincial board member.
Lao said he’s always given up his personal salary to help constituents, saying during the Team Marcos miting de avance on Thursday, May 8: “Laoag deserves better.” He added in Ilocano: “If Bryan Alcid is our mayor, we are closer to a brighter future.” Both Fariñas and Lao are raised Ilocanos, studied in Laoag, and speak Ilocano fluently — unlike the Marcoses.
Keon is left to run alone, though the mayor told Rappler, “I have a good relationship with the vice mayor.” Fariñas is on Keon’s sample ballot.
Not opposition leader, not a bridge
Fariñas is one of eight children of former governor and former 1st District Representative Rudy Fariñas. When once upon a time, it was a Fariñas in Congress and the city hall of the capital, now he is the highest-ranking Fariñas in Laoag, left to ensure the longevity of the clan in what has traditionally been their turf.
“Hindi naman tipong ganun (it’s not like that), but I just live up to the expectations kung paano si Daddy noon (how my Daddy was before), because my Dad was six years mayor, ten years governor, 12 years congressman, I just see to it to handle everything equally, everything fair na walang pinapaburan (without favors),” he said.
Progressive Ilocanos, particularly those who are anti-Marcos, are hungry for an opposition leader. They wanted that to be Rudy Fariñas in 2022, who was running that year (but lost) as governor, but the patriarch only spoke last minute and said he tried to keep the balance between national politics and local politics where some locals supported Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for president, but his family for Laoag leaders.
If not the opposition leader, is Carlos the bridge in the seeming war between Manotoc’s capitol and Keon’s city hall?
“I don’t see it that way. I just see, make it a point na kung anong beneficial sa city natin, ‘yun ‘yung direction natin. I’m not thinking na Team Fariñas, Team Marcos, or Team Keon. Basta do our job to make a better city. ‘Yun lang ‘yung point ko,” the vice mayor said.
“Whoever will win, Bryan or Michael, I could work with them kasi ‘yung direction naman natin isn’t for a political family, kung interes ng political family, but the interest of the well-being of Laoag City,” he said.
(I don’t see it that way. I just see, make it a point that whatever is beneficial to our city, that’s our direction. I’m not thinking of Team Fariñas, Team Marcos, or Team Keon. We just have to do our job to make a better city. That’s my point. Whoever will win, Bryan or Michael, I could work with them because our direction isn’t for a political family, or the interest of a political family, but the interest of the well-being of Laoag City.)
Vote buying
In 2022, there were scuffles between Team Fariñas — Carlo’s uncle and cousin — and Team Marcos, specifically the camp of Alcid and then-mayoral bet Vicentito Lazo over allegations of vote buying. This year, Carlos Fariñas presided over a city council session on May 6 where councilors on his slate alleged “super rampant vote buying”.
Alcid has dismissed the allegations as hearsay, even as Rappler has seen lines in public, and has spoken to residents who claim they have received from either Team Marcos or their allied party-list. Alcid said the lines could be anything — even a payroll queue.
After Rappler reported the allegations of vote buying against Team Marcos, the Laoag City police arrested a woman whom it accused of buying votes on behalf of Keon. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a show cause order to Keon on the same day. Rappler is still seeking Keon’s comment on the show-cause order.
Carlos Fariñas said vote buying is so rampant that people have urged him to do the same “to even the odds.” “Sabi ko sa kanila, I won’t stand to vote buying kasi once I shell out money for my candidacy, you expect na hanapin-hanapin, babawiin ko din ‘yun. So I stood my ground na hindi ko pinatulan ‘yung vote buying ng kalaban ko when I ran as barangay captain, nanalo ako,” said Fariñas.
(I told them I won’t stand for vote buying because once I shell out money for my candidacy, you expect people to always look for it, and I will try to recover it. So I stood my ground that I won’t match the vote buying of my opponent when I ran as barangay captain, and I won.) – Rappler.com