THERE'S a misconception that the Solid North was reinforced by the support given by Ferdinand Marcos to the Ilocano people.

"The Solid North phenomenon also projected an underlying notion about Northern Luzon at that time," wrote UP Professor Pawilen.

"That the Ilocanos were voting solidly for the Marcoses not just because of the ethnic ties to the north, but also because the Ilocanos had a relatively better experience as compared to the other parts of the Philippines during the Martial Law period with Marcos pouring over billions of funds, especially in his home province of Ilocos Norte," he said.

Jessie Vizcarra, a human rights lawyer of Vigan City, said that this glosses over the history of Ilocano activism at that time and the repression suffered by Ilocanos during the Martial Law period.

Vizcarra agreed with Pawilen's stand that for the North to be Solid, Ilocos had to be broken down.