Philippine president Marcos denies estranged sister’s claim he is a cocaine addict | Ferdinand Marcos Jr
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has denied his estranged sister’s accusations that he is a long-time drug addict, and the president’s spokesman said his cocaine addiction had led to governance problems, including corruption.
Communications undersecretary Claire Castro called the comments by Sen. Imee Marcos, the president’s sister, baseless and suggested they may have been a desperate attempt to divert ongoing investigations into a corruption scandal involving flood control projects in which her allies in the Senate may have been involved.
“Senator Imee, I hope you will be a patriot and assist in the investigation of your own brother and condemn all corruption,” Castro said. “Don’t side with them, don’t hide them. Let President Marcos work to stop all corruption.”
An independent investigative commission created by Marcos, a Senate committee and government agencies are investigating allegations that influential members of Congress and the Senate pocketed large kickbacks that turned out to be substandard, incomplete or nonexistent from construction companies that won lucrative contracts to build flood control projects. The scandal sparked outrage in a country that has long suffered deadly floods and typhoons.
Speaking before a massive rally organized by a religious group in a Manila park on Monday night, Imee Marcos said her brother’s drug addiction began when their father, the current leader’s namesake, was still president and continues to this day. He claimed that this affected his health and ability to govern.
The president and his older sister are the children of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was ousted in a military-backed “people power” uprising in 1986.
Imee Marcos claimed that the president’s wife and children are also drug users, adding that she and her brother have mostly not spoken since he took office in 2022. Liza Marcos and her children, including a prominent member of the House of Representatives, did not immediately comment.
“His addiction has led to a flood of corruption, a lack of direction and very poor decisions, and an absence of accountability and justice,” the senator said, without offering any evidence.
Imee Marcos is a harsh critic of her brother and a high-profile ally of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte was arrested in March on an international criminal court order and flown to the Netherlands, where he was detained for alleged crimes against humanity for his brutal anti-drug crackdown that has led to the deaths of thousands of mostly poor suspects. Duterte has denied any wrongdoing.
Duterte’s family and allies have blamed Marcos and his administration for the former president’s illegal arrest and detention by the global court. The vice president’s daughter, Sara Duterte, is also one of the current president’s most vocal critics.
On Monday, Castro criticized the senator for not calling out Rodrigo Duterte, who has acknowledged his past use of fentanyl and has been linked by critics to corruption allegations along with his vice president’s daughter. Both Duterte and his daughter have denied involvement in corruption, including the alleged misuse of secret funds.
Early last year, Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech that his successor was a drug addict who was once on law enforcement’s list of suspected drug users. Marcos later laughed off Duterte’s allegations and said in a response that he would not accept the accusation but claimed that his predecessor had used fentanyl, a powerful opioid.
Duterte said in 2016 that he used fentanyl to relieve pain caused by injuries from a past motorcycle accident. His lawyer later said Duterte stopped taking fentanyl before becoming president in 2016.
In 2021, when Marcos was running for president, his spokesman cited two reports from a private hospital and the national police laboratory that said Marcos had tested negative for cocaine and methamphetamine.
