SOLID. Rain-soaked supporters cheer for presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a rally at Leyte Sports Development Center in Tacloban City on Saturday night (April 9, 2022). Organizers estimated the crowd at 150,000. (Photo courtesy of Mayor Alfred Romualdez) TACLOBAN CITY - Hours after canceling a rally in Maasin City, Southern Leyte due to inclement weather, the camp of presidential bet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushed through with its sortie at Leyte Sports Development Center here on Saturday night despite heavy rains dumped by Tropical Storm Agaton. Organizers estimated the crowd at 150,000, some of whom arrived as early as 7 a.m., or 12 hours before the "son of Leyte" appeared. The rain and the crowd turned some portion of the complex into a muddy field but the crowd did not budge to show their support for the only son of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, a native of Leyte province. "Thank you for the very warm welcome despite heavy rains today. Many came to show support, but for Tacloban this is just a mini rally," Marcos said. Marcos told the crowd his mother was watching the proceedings online. "I've never heard so many people sing the national anthem. My mother is watching and she's very happy to see you all," he said. Running mate Sara Duterte spent the day campaigning in sunny Pangasinan. Marcos reiterated his call for unity for the country to recover from pandemic and other crisis. "Unity is the first step. Let us continue what we have started here and rise together," Marcos told the cheering crowd. The rally ended with a 30-minute fireworks and concert. The Tacloban sortie wrapped up the UniTeam campaign in Eastern Visayas. On Friday, Marcos attended rallies in Catarman, Northern Samar; Borongan City, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan City, Samar; and Naval, Biliran. Before the rally here, Marcos met withlocal officials and supporters in Baybay City and Ormoc City in Leyte. (PNA) }