House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos on Tuesday jumped to the defense of his father, President Marcos Jr., following accusations of illegal drug use by Senator Imee Marcos, calling it “a web of lies aimed at destabilizing this government.”
The lawmaker accused the Senator in return, asserting that her scathing remarks against the President and the First Family were “baseless,” “untrue” and a veiled attempt “to advance her own political ambitions.”
“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,” he stressed.
During the second day of the Iglesia ni Cristo rally with approximately half a million attendees in Manila late Monday, Senator Marcos publicly announced the alleged alarming addiction of his brother, President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Rep. Marcos to illegal drug use.
She alleged that the President had been into illegal drugs as early as his younger days, and became more addicted after marrying the First Lady, as the latter turned out to be a drug user as well.
The senator also accused his nephew, Rep. Marcos, of being a drug addict, claiming that he also offered her children to use illegal substances.
In response, Rep. Marcos said his cousins—Borgy, Ilocos Vice Gov. Matthew, and lawyer Michael Manotoc—can attest that their mother's allegations are purely “false.”
Furthermore, he pointed out that such remarks amount to “betrayal,” a behavior that “a real sibling would never act.”
“Now is the time to unite behind truth, not to amplify narratives meant to topple the government,” the lawmaker stated. This is the time for unity, not to spread chaos and destabilization.”
The Palace was also quick to debunk Senator Marcos’ insinuations, branding them a “desperate move” at a time when the government is facing a corruption crisis linked to the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.