The accusations from his estranged sister come as the Philippine president faces a corruption scandal over a flood control project.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has rejected accusations by his estranged sister, Sen. Immy Marcos, that he is a long-term drug user amid mass protests against corruption in the country.
On Monday, the senator claimed that his brother developed a cocaine addiction that affected his governance and contributed to corruption and poor decision-making.
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The president’s press secretary, Undersecretary for Communications Claire Castro, dismissed the claims as baseless and said they were a recycling of accusations that have long been disproved.
Senator Imey told a large audience at a rally in Manila Park organized by religious groups that his brother’s drug use began during the presidency of their father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled from 1965 to 1986, and has continued to the present day.
She argued, without providing evidence, that the president’s addictions had led to “a flood of corruption, a lack of direction and very bad decisions, a lack of accountability and justice.” She also claimed that the president’s wife and children were involved in drug use.
Mr. Castro criticized the senator for not mentioning former President Rodrigo Duterte, who admitted to past fentanyl use and who critics say may be involved in corruption along with his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. Both deny wrongdoing.
As Marcos Jr. campaigned for the 2021 presidential election, his spokesperson released reports from a private hospital and the National Police Laboratory showing that he had tested negative for cocaine and methamphetamine.
Allegations amid corruption scandal
Mr. Castro accused Mr. Imey’s comments of distracting from an ongoing investigation into a corruption scandal involving a flood control project that may involve some of his allies in the Senate.
“Sen Ime, I want you to be a patriot and cooperate with the investigation that your brother is conducting and condemn all the corrupt people,” Castro said. “Don’t side with them and don’t hide. Let President Marcos work hard to stop all corruption.”
The Marcos administration is investigating corruption allegations related to a ghost flood control project that cost taxpayers billions of pesos. Officials are accused of embezzling kickbacks from contracts to build thousands of flood protection structures, many of which were made with substandard materials or not built at all.
The Department of Finance estimates that corruption in flood control projects cost the Philippine economy up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025. The country’s economic planning minister said up to 70% of public flood control funding could have been lost since the scandal surfaced.
The crisis comes as the Philippines faces more than 20 storms this year. Most recently, Typhoon Kalmegi killed at least 269 people in early November, followed just days later by Typhoon Fanwon, which displaced 1.4 million people and killed 28 people.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Manila on Sunday to demand accountability from authorities, including allies of Mr. Marcos. Three days of rallies organized by the Philippines’ powerful religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), or Church of Christ, drew hundreds of thousands of participants and disrupted schools, roads and offices.
Mr. Marcos promised that officials involved in the scandal would face legal action by the end of the year. “They will be in jail. There will be no merry Christmas for them,” he said.
INC had supported Marcos and Sara Duterte’s candidacy in 2022. However, after the falling out between Marcos and Sara Duterte, INC shifted its support to Vice President Duterte.
Despite setting up a committee to investigate corruption allegations, no arrests have been made nearly 100 days after the investigation began. Mr. Marcos, whose father faces widespread corruption charges, framed the crackdown as part of a broader campaign for transparency and accountability.
However, a recent poll by social research agency Social Weather Stations showed that more than 80% of Metro Manila residents believe that corruption has worsened under the Marcos administration.
