Michael Edward Marcos Keon (born September 22, 1954) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Keon is the son of Australian journalist Michael James Keon and Elizabeth E. Marcos-Keon, governor of Ilocos Norte from 1971 to 1983 and the nephew of former Philippine president

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

. His mother, the first female vice-governor and governor of Ilocos Norte, was the sister of former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos. His father worked for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and had a hand in setting up the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna. His father also joined the historic 10,000-km. "

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...

" with

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

during the Chinese Revolution, covering the monumental event for the Chicago Daily Tribune. Before entering politics, Keon worked in the sports sector as director of the

Gintong Alay Project Gintong Alay or Gintong Alay () was a national sports program of the Philippine government launched under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos. History Establishment In Letter of Instructions No. 955 dated October 31, 1979, ...

program. This project was launched on October 31, 1979 and was intended to ensure the success of Philippine sports to promote and ultimately to achieve gold medals in international events.Michael Keon: From sports to politics
Manila Standard Today, May 19, 2007.

Political career

He served as provincial governor of

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City, located in the northwest corner of ...

from 2007-2010. He was preceded by cousin,

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. ( , , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM, is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a senat ...

and was succeeded by

Imee Marcos Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipina politician and former actress serving as a Senator since 2019. She is the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos and the ol ...

. He initially planned to run as mayor of Laoag for 2013 elections but withdrew after

convinced him to withdrew his candidacy in favor of Chevylle Fariñas. In 2018,Keon was appointed by Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos as Laoag City Councilor to fill in a vacant position in the Laoag City Council. In 2019 elections, he again ran for the same position; this time with the support of the Marcos clan. He defeated the incumbent mayor Chevylle Fariñas. His victory signaled the end of decades-old rule of the Fariñas clan in the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keon, Michael Marcos 1954 births Living people Governors of Ilocos Norte Marcos family People from Ilocos Norte Ilocano people Filipino people of Australian descent Filipino sports executives and administrators Lakas–CMD politicians