LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – This year’s Tan-ok ni Ilokano: The Festival of Festivals of Ilocos Norte was staged at the newly renovated Ferdinand E. Marcos (FEM) Memorial Stadium in this city on February 24.
Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc proudly presented the beautiful venue of the grandest festival in the province.
According to him, the upgrading of the stadium was among the Big 3 projects of the province led by then governor, and now Senator Imee Marcos.
“In 2019, then governor, now Senator Imee Marcos led the ground breaking of the Big 3 infrastructure project, including this FEM stadium.”
The old Marcos stadium, a 2,000 seaters venue, was swept by Typhoon Ompong in 2018 which made way for its reconstruction.
The new stadium can accommodate at least 12,000 audience and has a wide stage platform which makes it a perfect venue for the Tan-ok ni Ilokano cultural fest.
The inauguration of the FEM Memorial Stadium was conducted at the day of the Tan-ok Festival.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who was also there to join the event, agreed that this year’s celebration of the Tan-ok Festival was “more special” because it has been conducted at the FEM stadium.
“Named after my father, this stadium speaks well of the strength, the brilliance, the resilience of every Ilocano,” the President said, adding that his father “is very much proud of how far we have fared as a people.”
President Marcos has shown gratitude to all the people behind the rehabilitation of the stadium.
He said, “Agyamanak la unay kadayo kailian! (Thank you very much to all of you!) Indeed, this facility will become an iconic landmark that will not only showcase a design excellence, but also project our shared aspirations as a people.”
The Tan-ok Festival, which returns after three years of hiatus, was the highlight of Ilocos Norte's 205th foundation anniversary.
It is a showcase of the province’s rich history, tradition, heritage and culture through a dance competition which was joined by the 23 local government units of the province.
Tan-ok ni Ilocano or “The Greatness of Ilocano” dates back in 2011 and was organized by then governor Imee Marcos as part of the campaign for the revival of cultural pride and Ilokano identity by focusing on narrative-driven presentations produced by local creatives.
According to the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, Tan-ok serves as a tourism event and attraction in the Ilocos region, which stimulates economic activity by driving tourism-related industries, sustaining local livelihoods, as well as supporting local grown artists and small-scale workers. (JCR/AMB/KDM/PIA Region 1)
