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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-15/president-bbm-sm.webp" alt="President Bongbong Marcos" loading="lazy"/>
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(President Bongbong Marcos)
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BBM attended La Salle Greenhills elementary school (1964), and completed his secondary education at Worth School in West Sussex, England (1974). He earned a Special Diploma in Social Studies from Oxford University (1978). Bongbong subsequently enrolled at the Wharton School of Business for a Master of Business Administration, which was eventually cut short due to him being elected in 1980 as Vice Governor of his home province, Ilocos Norte.
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In 1993, Bongbong married Louise "Liza" Cacho Araneta. They are blessed with three children: Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro", Joseph Simon and William Vincent "Vinny".
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Ever-present and dominant throughout Bongbong's upbringing was the idea of public service. Having his youth and formative years spent in Malacañang and witnessing firsthand the single-minded dedication of his parents to serve country and people, he had determined from a very young age to devote his life to public service and the welfare of his people.
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When the people of Ilocos Norte gave Bongbong their mandate and elected him Governor, his term was marked by a greater importance placed on improving the province's agriculture; support for the establishment and operation of cooperatives that promote better market opportunities to local farmers; the construction of numerous agricultural processing and storage facilities; and a policy environment that encouraged and promoted greater investments in sustainable development and renewable sources of energy.
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Bongbong's openness and keen interest in promoting alternative and sustainable sources of energy was instrumental and consequential in attracting big-ticket renewable energy investments to the province. His strong support and active push served as a key driver that led to the development of Southeast Asia's first wind farm - the Bangui Windmills - establishing the province and the region as a leader and champion for a broader shift to renewable energy and the sustainable use of the country's natural resources.
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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-15/marcos-family.webp" alt="The Marcos Sr. family" loading="lazy"/>
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(The Marcos Sr. family)
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When Bongbong served as Representative of the 2nd District of the Province of Ilocos Norte, he authored and co-authored several house bills and resolutions, most of which were of local scope and geared towards the needs of his constituency.
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Bongbong advocated for the establishment of a special economic free port zone in Ilocos Norte to help spur economic growth and foreign investment in his home province. He also strongly lobbied for the inclusion of subjects on Nationalism in the curricula of primary, secondary, and tertiary schools, as well as for stronger government support for indigenous formal and informal learning systems.
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Bongbong, having already established himself as a strong advocate for the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources and alternative or renewable sources of energy, filed House Bill No. 8617 on the establishment of a National Institute for Clean Energy Research. The Bill aimed to provide Filipino scientists and engineers an environment that would support further training, research, and development of indigenous technologies that use renewable sources of power.
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During Bongbong's time as a Senator of the Republic, he prioritized providing support to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) through the authorship of Senate Resolution No. 379, tasking the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to look into the remedial measures taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in protecting the welfare and interests of OFWs and Filipinos seeking employment in Taiwan.
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Bongbong also served for several years as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government. Drawing from his considerable experience serving as Governor of his home province, he strongly advocated for greater Local Government reform and sought to empower them through the provision of more extensive, comprehensive, and responsive national government support.
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Today in Filipino History, September 13, 1957, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., 17th president of the Philippines, was born in Batac, Ilocos Norte