(UPDATE) MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said it is considering filing charges against those behind a “fake police report” linking first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to the death by drug overdose of Juan Paolo Tantoco, the heir to the Rustan’s retail empire.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said “obstructionists” were using a fake police report to discredit the first lady, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and his administration.
“It’s disheartening because private individuals who are in mourning are being dragged into politics,” Castro said in a Palace briefing.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro
She issued the statement after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that Tantoco died from the effects of cocaine use, and pinned an underlying heart disease as a contributing factor.
The 44-year-old businessman was found dead in his hotel room a day after attending the Manila International Film Festival which was held March 4-7.
The fake police report alleged that the first lady may have had personal knowledge surrounding Tantoco’s death.
Referring to this fake report, Sen. Imee Marcos, the president’s sister, urged Malacañang to clarify the first lady’s whereabouts at that period to “dispel further speculation.”
But Castro said Tantoco was not included in the first lady’s entourage, and she was attending an event for the Filipino community in Los Angeles on March 8, the day Tantoco died.
“The police report posted on Facebook was a big lie,” she said, adding that certain parts were just added to the original document.
Castro also said that the first lady was accompanied not only by the Presidential Security Group but also by security personnel provided by the US government.
“She did not stay at the hotel where Mr. Tantoco was. She also had scheduled activities, including a concert for the Filipino community on March 8, which lasted from the afternoon until the evening,” Castro said.
“So how can these obstructionists and fake news peddlers make claims based on the people they say they saw in the area?” she added.
Asked how the first lady handled the claims, Castro said she was doing well and was not worried over the allegations “because she knows the truth.”
“She’s okay, because she knows the truth. Honestly, she did not want this issue to blow up any further because this administration is focused on showing what the president is doing, what his responsibilities are, and how we work for the people,” Castro said.
“The first lady has no reason to worry because she knows the truth, and the records will speak for themselves. So those who should be concerned are the ones destroying them because they will not be able to bring down this administration using fake news,” she added.
She said the possibility of filing a case against the people spreading the fake news about the first lady was being studied.
Larry Gadon, the presidential adviser on poverty alleviation, laughed off Senator Marcos’ call on the Palace to shed light on Tantoco’s death, including any possible involvement of the first lady.
In an interview, Gadon said it was illogical for Malacañang to even submit a report on Tantoco’s death.
“The first lady was not his (Tantoco’s) nanny, not a security guard who would secure him or even others around him,” Gadon said.
He added that the Philippines could never investigate the incident.
“No way that the LA police will allow it since it was a domestic crime,” Gadon said.
He then advised the president’s older sister to train her sights on the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts or sabungeros.
The LA County Medical Examiner in July confirmed that Tantoco, 44, the administrator of the department store chain Rustan’s, died from cocaine use.
The senator had said that the Palace should issue a comprehensive report on the matter “given the gravity of these allegations and the matter’s undeniable public interest.”
She noted reports suggesting that Tantoco was apparently part of the entourage of the first lady, who was in LA at that time to promote the Manila International Film Festival.
“I also call for the clarification of the First Lady’s whereabouts at the relevant time, as may be reflected in official records such as the Medical Examiner’s Report, to dispel further speculation,” she said.
