Gov. Michael Marcos Keon of Ilocos Norte province, the region that the largest portion of Filipinos in Hawaii have ties to, is making his first visit as governor to the Islands, drawing enough interest to fill venues to capacity.

Keon was greeted by an estimated 2,000 people during his first appearance at Blaisdell Park on Sunday, and his second appearance, tomorrow evening at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, is booked full at 400 people.

The governor and his entourage of 26 — mayors, board members, vice mayors, staff and a congressman, all from Ilocos Norte — scheduled another public appearance on Monday evening at the Philippine Consulate General in Nu'uanu for any other people they couldn't accommodate at the Filcom Center.

Keon, elected mayor in 2007, said he is here for a tour of O'ahu and Maui and to "familiarize myself with the Ilocanos community" in Hawai'i. He estimated that about 120,000 people living in Hawai'i have family roots in Ilocos Norte.

Keon is trying to "reignite the sisterhood" with the Filipino community in Hawai'i, said Dwayne Bueno, president of Ilocos Nortenians of America.

"It's to really have the people meet him," Bueno said.

He will use his public appearances to talk to Filipino community members and leaders about the present state of Ilocos Norte and lay out his plans for the province's development, said his executive assistant, Chito Dunlao.

"We're always excited to have politicians from the Philippines come back and reconnect us," said businessman Eddie Flores Jr., president and chief executive officer of L&L Drive-Inn restaurants. "I'm always excited. We welcome him."

Bryan Andaya, former president of the United Filipino Council of Hawai'i, said the size of the crowd at Blaisdell Park "shows that most people in the Filipino community that live here still maintain their roots and close ties with their homelands and respective regions they're from."

Andaya's estimate is that out of the 240,000 Filipinos in Hawai'i, between 150,000 and 175,000 are Ilocano.

As someone who was born and raised in Hawai'i but has made six trips to the Philippines in the last nine years, Bueno said he was excited to connect with a politician from the Philippines whom he found to be down-to-earth and approachable.

"I'm trying to encourage other young people to know where their roots are, and I'm hoping that it gives people an opportunity to see where their parents or grandparents are from," he said.

Eddie Agas, president of the United Filipino Council of Hawai'i and a first-generation Filipino who came to Hawai'i in 1971, said he was surprised by the large turnout at Blaisdell Park and hopes that even more members of the Filipino community will come out to see the governor.

"We always look for young leaders to preserve our culture and also mingle with the mainstream," said Agas, who said he believes Keon will "energize" the Filipino community in Hawai'i.

"We usually have a hard time approaching politicians from the Philippines," Agas said. "When I saw Keon, he hugged me."