Composite photo shows House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and Sen. Imee Marcos.
Philstar.com / Anj Andaya ; Imee Marcos via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential son and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos rejected Sen. Imee Marcos’ accusation that his parents are illegal drug users, saying his aunt has betrayed her own family and that she no longer acts like a “true sister” to his father.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 18, Sandro said none of Imee’s allegations bear any weight, calling them baseless and untrue, and adding that such remarks do nothing to help the country.
“To further repeat an accusation against President Bongbong Marcos and the First Lady (and for the first time every myself) that is not only false, but dangerously irresponsible,” Sandro said.
Rehashed drug use claim
The president has long been hounded by drug abuse allegations, which resurfaced in 2023. In 2024, Philstar.com found several anonymous pro-Duterte accounts circulating an alleged video of Bongbong using illegal substances, fueling speculation about his so-called “polvoron use.”
The surge in Facebook posts emerged as tensions grew between Vice President Sara Duterte, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Bongbong’s cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Authorities later determined that the video was fake and generated using artificial intelligence. According to a Vera Files report, deepfake experts also found multiple signs of manipulation, including inconsistencies in the ear shape, hairline and overall facial structure that did not match with the president’s.
RELATED: ‘Polvoron’ campaign emerges amid Marcos-Duterte political tussle
Imee’s swing. Imee, who first aired the accusations during Iglesia Ni Cristo’s anti-corruption protest, has since aligned herself with the Dutertes as cracks between their families surfaced and the impeachment case against the vice president escalated.
By the 2025 midterm elections, when Imee sought reelection, it became clear that she no longer supported her brother’s administration.
Sandro’s cousins can attest
During the Monday protest, she claimed that her brother Bongbong has long struggled with drug addiction and that it worsened after he married First Lady Liza Marcos. Imee also alleged that Sandro once offered illegal drugs to her sons — an accusation Sandro denied, saying her sons can even attest that it never happened.
“My cousins Borgy, Vice Gov. Matthew and Atty. Michael can attest that these allegations that were insinuated against me are false,” he said.
Sandro also said he and his cousins had long agreed not to be pulled into any of their parents’ disputes. He added that by making such allegations against his father, Imee is attempting to “destabilize the government” to further her own political ambitions.
“Hindi ito asal ng isang tunay na kapatid (This does not reflect the behavior of a true sibling),” he said.
Malacañang has also dismissed the senator’s claims, describing them as a “desperate move” to shield her allies in the Senate from ongoing investigations and potential corruption charges. Palace press officer Claire Castro added that President Marcos had already tested negative for drug use in 2021, ahead of the 2022 national elections.
Imee’s timing
The timing of Imee’s allegations closely followed former Rep. Elizaldy Co’s claim that the president ordered P100 billion in budget insertions, on top of calls from Duterte supporters for Bongbong to resign.
In the House, a majority of political parties expressed their full support for the president, casting doubt on Co’s allegations and pointing to inconsistencies that, according to analysts, require sworn evidence for verification.
Bongbong has yet to issue his own statement in response to his sister’s claims.