Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior has denied accusations by his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, who claimed he has been a long time user of cocaine. Her remarks surfaced during a period of large demonstrations in Manila over a widening corruption scandal tied to public flood control projects.
The public fight between two of the country’s most influential political figures has added new tension to a government already facing pressure from protesters demanding accountability.
Speaking at a rally organized by a major religious group in Manila, Senator Imee told supporters that her brother’s drug use began during the rule of their father, Ferdinand Marcos Senior, and continued into his current administration. She said the alleged addiction had led to corruption, poor decision making, and what she described as a failure to uphold accountability. She also accused the president’s wife and children of drug use but did not provide evidence.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, the president’s spokesperson, rejected the claims. She said the accusations had circulated in the past and had already been disproven. Castro pointed to the president’s negative drug tests that his campaign team released during the 2021 election season, including results from a private hospital and the national police laboratory.
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Castro also criticized Senator Imee for ignoring other political families who have faced similar scrutiny. She noted that former President Rodrigo Duterte has acknowledged past fentanyl use and has faced corruption allegations along with his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. Both Dutertes have denied any misconduct.
The government is investigating a large scandal involving alleged ghost flood control projects that cost taxpayers billions of pesos. Officials are suspected of receiving kickbacks from contracts for thousands of flood barriers that were either poorly constructed or never built.
The Department of Finance estimates that the country lost up to 118 point five billion pesos from 2023 to 2025 because of fraud tied to these public works projects. The economic planning minister has said as much as seventy percent of funds for flood defenses may have disappeared since the scandal became public.
Castro said the senator’s accusations served only to distract from the investigation. She urged Senator Imee to support the probe, stating that the president intended to hold corrupt officials accountable. Marcos has promised that those involved would face legal action by the end of the year and said, in his words, that there would be no merry Christmas for those found guilty.
The corruption scandal has fueled public anger during a year marked by more than twenty storms. Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least two hundred sixty nine people in early November. Days later, Typhoon Fung wong caused the evacuation of more than one point four million people and killed twenty eight.
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of Manila during a three day rally organized by the Iglesia ni Cristo. The group had endorsed Marcos and Sara Duterte in 2022 but has shifted its support toward the vice president after tensions rose between the two families.
Nearly one hundred days into the flood control investigation, no prominent arrests have been made. Marcos, whose father faced long standing corruption allegations, has framed the probe as part of a broader effort to rebuild public trust.
The administration is expected to announce further steps in the corruption inquiry before the end of the year.