Online discourse was sparked by Sen. Imee Marcos’ comments alleging that her brother, who has been in office since 2022, is using illegal drugs, raising questions about her own complicity.
On Monday, November 17, the elder Marcos sibling addressed attendees at a rally organized by the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) against government corruption, alleging that the family is aware of her brother’s “problem.”
“Bata pa lang kami ni Bongbong, alam na ng buong pamilya na ang problema sa kanya. Sa totoo lang, mababasa naman ng lahat ang testimonya ng aking ama patungkol sa kanyang ugali at gawain,” Imee said in the second day of the INC rally.
“Bongbong” is the nickname of her younger brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the second member of the Marcos family to hold the presidency.
“Noon, dahil may tatay pa kami, hindi ko pa siya responsibilidad. Noong tumatanda ay mas naging nakakabahala. Batid ko na nagda-drugs siya! Nalaman ko at ng pamilya, nalaman ng pamilya, seryoso ito,” Imee added.
“Minsan kami ng presidential guard at ng Metrocom pa ang naglilinis tuwing nagpa-party po sila,” she claimed, referring to the former Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command, a military unit that operated during the regime of their father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Imee also said she believed Bongbong would find direction in his life once he got married, adding that she was the one who convinced him to marry First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos.
“Ang laki ng pagkakamali ko, mas lumala ang kanyang paglulong, pagkalulong sa droga. Parehas pala silang mag-asawa!” she claimed.
The president’s sister alleged that Bongbong was a user of marijuana and cocaine, claiming that his children were also involved with illegal drugs.
Imee then urged her brother to “come home” and seek treatment for his alleged drug addiction, saying that while she could endure him losing his position, she could not bear to lose him.
Her comments quickly drew attention online, with some Filipinos criticizing her for being “complicit” by allowing her brother to pursue public office despite his alleged condition.
“Which begs the question, why did you allow him to run and then convince people to vote for him during the previous elections kung matagal mo nang alam ‘to? I conclude, Manang Imee, that you are complicit until things no longer [seem] beneficial to you. Parehas kayong basura,” a physician said.
“Hindi na kami nagulat. Remember ‘ngiwi?’ Ito ang pansinin niyo. Alam naman pala nilang drug user, pinatakbo pa nilang pangulo,” a Project Gunita co-founder wrote.
“‘Noong tumanda na ay mas nakakabahala’ daw. Girl, you’re both senior citizens. If you really cared, you would’ve said this *decades* ago. Why now, if the timing doesn’t benefit you?” a writer asked.
“E bakit niyo pinagpilitan sa taumbayan ‘yan nung 2022 kung alam niyong adik pala? Tigilan niyo nga kami,” former lawmaker and lawyer Barry Gutierrez said.
Meanwhile, political scientist Cleve Arguelles questioned Imee’s “agenda” and timing, saying it “feels like a grand script” in which her brother would be removed from office and Vice President Sara Duterte would assume the presidency.
“To what end is this revelation? Is this in the public interest, or is it part of a more insidious political agenda? Why now during the Iglesia Ni Cristo rally?” he asked.
Arguelles also called on the two political families, the Dutertes and the Marcoses, to “spare” Filipinos from the “exhausting family drama” that he said “keeps dividing the nation into their loyalists and supporters.”
Imee earlier claimed that she convinced now-Vice President Sara Duterte to run alongside her brother in the 2022 elections. The two ran a successful campaign under the UniTeam banner.
What makes a president?
Apart from meeting citizenship requirements and the minimum age, a person may become president of the Philippines if they are literate, a registered voter, and have been a resident of the country for at least ten years prior to the election.
The late Apolinario Mabini, a revolutionary leader and former prime minister of the republic, once wrote that the president “is the personification of the people.”
“The President is none other than the brother and friend of all Filipinos, and for this he should be considered as the first in honesty and in all the civic virtues,” the revolutionary figure said.
“It is a duty of honor and of conscience for him to live a life beyond reproach, as a sign of respect for his people before the entire civilized world and to give his countrymen an example of integrity and hard work,” Mabini added.
Palace reacts
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro called Imee’s accusations “baseless” and questioned her motive, saying the senator intended to “malign” the First Couple.
“Ang pinag-uusapan sa peaceful rally ay patungkol sa diumanong korapsyon. Ano ang dahilan ni Senator Imee para ang sarili niyang kapatid ay siraan niya?” Castro said in her vlog.
She also said that Bongbong had already undergone a voluntary drug test before he campaigned for the presidency.
“Alam naman natin na nagkaroon na ng drug test noon pang bago mangampanya ang ating Pangulo… ‘President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did test negative for cocaine in 2021, a drug analyst from St. Luke’s Medical Center confirmed Monday,'” the presidential spokesperson said, quoting a report.
Castro also questioned Imee for not similarly calling out former President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously admitted to using marijuana and fentanyl.
“Bakit siya masyadong concerned ngayon about diumanong paggamit ng drug test, samantala ang dating Pangulong Duterte umaming nagma-marijuana at nag-fentanyl. Hindi niya cinall-out,” she said.
The president’s son and House Majority Leader, Sandro Marcos, also criticized his aunt, accusing her of “destabilizing the government” with a “web of lies” to allegedly “advance her own political ambitions.”
“Sa lahat po ng binanggit ng senadora, walang basehan, walang katotohanan, at walang magandang idudulot sa bayan,” Sandro said in a statement.
The timing of Imee’s allegations came shortly after former Rep. Zaldy Co claimed that the president ordered P100 billion in budget insertions, amid calls from Duterte supporters for Bongbong to resign. — with reports from Philstar.com/Dominique Flores
