By Admin 
Hundreds of people gathered in the Philippines capital Manila on Sunday for a rally by a large religious group called Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), coming together to demand accountability for alleged corruption in flood-control projects. President Marcos’ sister and Senator Imee Marcos arrived on the second day of the three-day protest. What he said during this time has created an uproar not only in the family but also in the politics of the Philippines. The entire country is embroiled in a unique and explosive controversy.
The confusion is big because the sister described President Ferdinand Bonbon Marcos Jr., his wife and nephew as cocaine addicts. Imee made serious allegations against the President of using illegal drugs, especially cocaine. Since the claim was not made in a closed room or in a media note but in a big public event, there was an uproar. First the President’s Office and then the nephew himself came forward and termed Imi’s claims as baseless.
Nephew and Ilocos Norte representative Ferdinand Alexander Marcos dismissed Aunt Imee’s claims as hollow. Said that it is sad to see that keeping her personal political gains in mind, she is making such baseless allegations against the entire family. Earlier, presidential spokesperson Claire Castro called these allegations baseless and disappointing. He also said that the President has already undergone drug tests, the results of which were negative. The President’s Office also says that Imi’s allegations may be more a political strategy than a family dispute, as the administration has been criticized in recent times in some economic and corruption-related matters.
Imi also said that this problem is very old and the family has been aware of it for years. He had to say this and a religious rally took a political turn. Due to this, family differences became a topic of open discussion. According to local media outlet The Manila Times, Davao City representative Paolo Duterte also raised questions and advised that if the President is not a victim of any addiction, he can prove his innocence by undergoing a hair follicle test.
The Philippines media has reported this controversy very seriously, because this is the first time that a senator is making such open allegations against her own sitting president. GMA, Philstar, Philippine News and other media organizations investigated these statements, reporting that many claims about the President being a cocaine user had spread on social media in the past, but VERA Files (an independent, non-profit media and fact-checking organization of the Philippines) had declared the vast majority of them to be false, misleading or deepfakes. For this reason, many questions are being raised regarding the credibility of Imee Marcos’s allegations.
According to local media, sensitive issues like drug policy, corruption and economic pressure are already being debated within the country and at such a time, such allegations not only challenge the President’s image but can also affect the stability of the regime, administrative credibility and the upcoming electoral equations.
Both the Philippines and the international media are now watching whether Imi produces any evidence to support her allegations, whether the government will launch an official investigation into the claims, and whether the controversy will break the political power of the Marcos family or whether the ruling party will ultimately succeed in ignoring it as a family feud.