Fresh off an official working visit to New Delhi, India, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. celebrated his 69th birthday on Monday by hosting over 9,000 guests at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañang for a massive thanksgiving feast.
The annual “Salo-Salo sa Palasyo,” held a day after his actual birthday on September 13, brought together a wide array of attendees, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, members of Friends of Imelda Romualdez Marcos (FIRM), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) beneficiaries, and public school students on a special educational tour of the Palace grounds.
Guests were treated to an extensive spread featuring popular food brands including Jollibee, Tokyo Tokyo, Peri-Peri, Food Panda, Tapa King, Dickey’s, Buffalo’s, CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, Zus Coffee and Tomoro Coffee. The festivities also included live magic shows, music, dance performances, gift giveaways and a ceremonial birthday cake presented as visiting children sang to the Chief Executive.
The celebration extended far beyond the capital, with simultaneous satellite gatherings livestreamed across 90 locations in 20 provinces, including Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales, Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu and Davao de Oro.
Taking the stage alongside First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, the President expressed gratitude to his supporters and attendees.
“Thank you for all that you have done to support me and the work that we are doing,” President Marcos told the crowd. “You have made this a very, very, very happy birthday for me. Thank you very much. We love you very much.”
Prior to returning to Manila from the 18th BRICS Summit in India, the President shared his personal and national birthday wishes during a media interview on Sunday.
On a personal level, Marcos admitted that demanding official duties often leave little room for family life.
“I suppose for my family, simple lang. I wish I saw more of all of you. And it’s not just my children, including the First Lady. Our schedules don’t match very well. We don’t see each other that much either. I wish I could spend more time with all of you, number one,” Marcos shared.
Turning to his vision for the country, the President stressed his desire to entrench ongoing structural and administrative reforms so they endure past his term in 2028.
“I wish I’ll be able to get the beginnings of what we started in place, so that they continue. It is, in many ways, it is a restructuring, and I just want to get the basics of that in place so that it will continue that we will continue to construct the government. We will continue to make it better,” he said.
Looking toward the international stage, Marcos reaffirmed his commitment to active foreign engagement, calling for expanded trade and diplomacy while ensuring the Philippines remains steadfastly on the side of global peace amid ongoing geopolitical challenges.