MANILA—The camp of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said it postponed a scheduled rally in Antique, and not cancelled it.

"The caravan-cum-rally which was set for February 24, 2022 by the BBM-Sara UniTeam in Binirayan Sports Complex, San Jose De Buenavista in the province of Antique was not cancelled. It was reset to another date," Marcos spokesman Atty. Vic Rodriguez said in a statement Wednesday.

"We decided to adjust our schedule to a later date in the spirit of peace and unity."

Earlier reports indicated that the event was postponed following protests by local residents on social media. It was also reported that Marcos' rally was supposed to be held at Evelio B. Javier Freedom Park, which is also in the town of San Jose De Buenavista.

The park was where late former Antique Governor Evelio B. Javier was shot dead by gunmen on February 11, 1986. The assassins were allegedly under orders from former Assemblyman and Marcos ally Arturo Pacificador.

Javier's assassination was seen as one of the tipping points leading to the EDSA Revolution on February 25, 1986.

When asked what he felt about the postponement of Marcos' rally in Antique, Javier's son, Gideon, told ABS-CBN News he felt a sense of relief.

"That feeling that the son of Marcos, showing up there, to that place where pinaghirapan, pinagpuyatan, and kinamatayan really happened," he said. "I cannot imagine, like, what a desecration it sounds like."

Javier said on social media that he wondered what "preoccupied" the organizers of Marcos' Antique rally while scoping out a potential venue.

"Beside the stage is the rock my father was sitting on he before he was murdered," he said. "You have to write the word 'Freedom' in the space labelled 'location' when you apply for a rally permit."

On Wednesday, Marcos Jr. toured several cities in the nearby province of Negros Occidental, where he pledged to revive the country's tourism industry and look into its energy problems.

Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos, pinangunahan ang pagiikot sa ilang siyudad sa Negros Occidental @ABSCBNNews @DZMMTeleRadyo pic.twitter.com/FCXSib7U2t

— Joyce Balancio (@joycebalancio) February 23, 2022