MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday slammed Sen. Imee Marcos’ public accusation that her brother President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and members of the First Family were using illegal drugs, branding the claim as a “desperate move” meant to destabilize the administration.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro rebuked the senator after she used a speech before Iglesia Ni Cristo members at the Quirino Grandstand on Monday night to accuse her brother of long-time drug use and to implicate First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and other family members.
“This is definitely a desperate move. Ang pinag-uusapan sa peace rally ay patungkol sa di umanong korapsyon. Ano ang dahilan ni Senator Imee na ang sarili niyang kapatid ay siraan niya?” Castro said.
In her speech, Senator Marcos claimed, “Batid ko na nagda-drugs siya. Nalaman ko at ng pamilya, nalaman ng pamilya, seryoso ito,” further alleging that the First Lady and several presidential allies were also involved.
She added that her brother’s name supposedly surfaced in 2016 during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
“‘Nung 2016 kasabay ng kampanya ni dating Pangulong Duterte laban sa droga, lumabas ang pangalan ni Bongbong sa listahan. Nakasama siya sa listahan ng celebrities,” she said.
The senator said she even pleaded with Duterte at the time to spare Marcos Jr.
“Masinsinan kong kinausap si Pangulong Rody, halos manikluhod ako. Sinabi kong ayon sa kapulisan dapat unahin usigin ang mga pusher at saka na lamang sagipin ang mga user. Naligtas si Bongbong,” she added.
Senator Marcos escalated her claims by accusing the First Lady of drug use and alleging that the President’s children — including Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos — were being pressured into illegal drug use.
Sandro, in a separate statement on Tuesday, strongly rejected his aunt’s allegations and tagged them as politically-motivated.
“It pains me to see how low she has gone to the point that she resorts to a web of lies aimed at destabilizing this government to advance her own political ambitions,” he said. “To further repeat an accusation against President Bongbong Marcos and the First Lady (and for the first time ever, myself) that is not only false, but dangerously irresponsible.”
“Sa lahat po ng binanggit ni senadora, walang basehan, walang katotohanan, at walang magandang idudulot sa bayan,” he added.
Sandro also said his cousins could disprove the allegations: “My cousins Borgy, Vice Gov. Matthew, and Atty. Michael can attest that these allegations that were insinuated against me are false.”
He lamented that the senator had dragged the younger generation into the feud.
“We always agreed that whatever happened between our parents, we wouldn’t let ourselves be dragged in,” he said. “That is why nakakalungkot makita na ginagawa niya ito. For her to betray her own family brings a lot of pain to me as a consequence of my respect to her for giving me my start in public life. Hindi ito asal ng isang tunay na kapatid.”/PN
