Without fanfare

CEBU, Philippines — President Ferdinand  Bongbong  Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos were in Cebu on April 11, 2025, for what appeared to be an unannounced visit.

A photo posted on the first lady's official Facebook page showed a photo of her with Governor Gwen Garcia, 5th district Rep. Duke Frasco, his wife Department of Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco, and their three children.

The photo was captioned,  Afternoon bite with Gov Gwen and the Frasco family. Province of Cebu, Philippines | 11 April 2025."

Representative Frasco confirmed to The Freeman that he met with the Marcos couple on Friday, which was the same time that the One Cebu party held its northern Caravan, specifically in Liloan town where the campaign kicked off. The caravan was also attended by some of the administration s senatorial candidates.

The Freeman reached out to the congressman for confirmation after some netizens claimed it was  fake news  that the President and First Lady were in Cebu that day.

In a separate post, the First Lady also posted more photos of her dining with Rep. Frasco and his slate in Liloan. The photos, labeled  Lunch with Representative Vincent Franco  Duke  Frasco and team. Liloan, Cebu Province | 11 April 2025", did not show the President.

Sec. Garcia-Frasco also posted more photos on her page, thanking the First Lady for being with them in Liloan.

Another post of the First Lady also showed a video of her and DOT Sec. Garcia-Frasco conducting an ocular inspection of potential venues in Cebu for the ASEAN 2026 Summit. The venues included Shangri-La Mactan, Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, and the Mactan Cebu Expo Center all located in Lapu-Lapu City.

 Ocular inspection of possible sites in Cebu for ASEAN 2026,  showing her with DOT Secretary Frasco and several others. The President was also not seen in this post.

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7), in a Facebook post, also confirmed the President and First Lady's visit to Cebu, as they successfully conducted a comprehensive and incident-free security operation in Lapu-Lapu City on April 11.

The operation, it said, prioritized public safety and ensured the smooth execution of all scheduled activities.

"Under the leadership of PBGen Redrico Maranan, Regional Director of PRO-7, sufficient personnel from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office were deployed, along with specialized units, advanced surveillance systems, and close coordination among law enforcement and emergency services."

The security operation included crowd control measures, traffic management, and thorough screening processes at all venues.

 We are proud to report that the President s visit proceeded without any security issues. Our teams worked tirelessly to uphold the highest safety standards, allowing the President to engage with citizens and officials with full confidence,  said Maranan.

According to PRO-7, the visit included strategic meetings and an inspection of the ongoing construction of the highly anticipated EXPO Building, which is expected to become a major hub for trade, tourism, and economic activity in the Visayas region.

PRO-7 also extended its gratitude to the community for the cooperation and commended the professionalism of the security personnel whose efforts ensured that the visit was both safe and successful.  (CEBU NEWS)