The Solid North refers to the regional voting bloc of the northern provinces of the Philippines[1] for politicians of Ilocano descent, more particularly the Marcos family and their allies, and also economic issues affecting the Ilocanos in general such as the tobacco industry. Often included in Solid North are the provinces in the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Cagayan Valley.[2][3] The regions are considered to be a conservative/right-wing bastion for the country.[3][failed verification]
The Solid North was most prominent during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., but waned after his ouster as a result of the People Power Revolution; the north no longer delivered a reliable bloc vote from 1992[2] until 2016, when Marcos' son, Bongbong Marcos, ran for the vice presidency in 2016 and won in the Solid North, except for Batanes.[4]
Its southern counterpart, called Solid South (not to be confused with the American Solid South), refers to either part or all of Mindanao as a voting bloc, supporting politicians from Mindanao, especially the Duterte family and their allies. The term "Solid South" first emerged after then Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency with a majority of provinces in Mindanao voting for him.[3][5]