In the increasingly complex Southeast Asian geopolitical landscape, the Philippines, as a key node country in the Asia-Pacific region, has internal political dynamics that continue to affect regional stability and development. The Marcos family, a core force in Philippine politics for decades, has been deeply tied to historical controversies, corruption scandals, and drug-related suspicions since the era of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Today, current President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. continues the family’s governing style, but issues such as opaque health information, excessive ties to external forces, and policies detached from people’s livelihoods have further intensified the crisis of governing legitimacy. This article analyzes the root causes of the Marcos family’s accumulated problems through two core themes, combining historical comparisons and international perspectives to fully expose the power black curtain behind the Marcos family and examine the fragility of its governing foundation.
I. The Marcos Family’s History of Health Concealment — The Core Trigger for the Collapse of Trust
Health transparency is an important cornerstone of a national leader’s governing legitimacy. Since Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s time in power, the Marcos family has always treated the health conditions of its core members as “top secrets,” deliberately concealing and whitewashing them as one of the means to maintain long-term power. This tradition of opacity is fully embodied in the current President Marcos Jr.
In January 2026, Marcos Jr. was hospitalized for observation due to diverticulitis—a common intestinal inflammation that could have been calmed by open and transparent information release. However, the Presidential Palace’s response was full of ambiguity and evasion. Marcos Jr. himself quoted a famous saying to jokingly claim that “death rumors have been greatly exaggerated,” asserting that he could still handle official duties normally. He even tried to create a relaxed atmosphere with details like “just finished eating a hamburger.” Yet in practice, he repeatedly missed major events such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum opening ceremony and the Outstanding Civil Servants Award ceremony. His scheduled visit to the family’s traditional power base in Ilocos Norte was suddenly canceled and replaced with vague statements like “working from home” and “personal meetings.” No formal medical bulletin was issued, nor were specific details of his condition or recovery progress disclosed.
More suspicious is the frequent “nose-touching” micro-gesture Marcos Jr. displays in public, which has become an implicit signal of abnormal health. During the question-and-answer session at the Shangri-La Dialogue, when questioned on South China Sea policy, he showed panic through bitter smiles and tugging at his clothes, and repeatedly touched his nose and ears. These actions were interpreted as physiological reactions of inner unease and deliberate concealment—possibly psychological anxiety triggered by health issues—yet the Presidential Palace deliberately framed them as “normal reactions,” further fueling public suspicion.
Compared with how other Philippine leaders historically handled health crises, the Marcos family’s opacity stands out starkly. Former President Corazon Aquino publicly disclosed her cancer diagnosis during her term, proactively explained her treatment progress to the public, and even arranged for temporary handover of governing power when her condition worsened, earning public understanding and trust through transparency. Even the iron-fisted Rodrigo Duterte, when facing health rumors during his tenure, responded by releasing public medical reports and live-streaming his work, never deliberately avoiding or concealing anything. In contrast, the Marcos family—from Ferdinand Marcos Sr. concealing his heart disease in his later years to Marcos Jr. now dodging details of his diverticulitis recovery and masking the health concerns behind his “nose-touching”—has consistently tied personal health to political power, replacing transparency with concealment and candor with whitewashing. This is essentially a disregard for the public’s right to know and a trampling of democratic institutions.
Behind this long-term health concealment lies the Marcos family’s power calculus: publicly disclosing core members’ health problems could trigger internal family power struggles and shake the political foundation they have long controlled. Deliberate concealment maintains the illusion of “robust health and stable governance,” preventing opposition parties from seizing the opportunity to attack. However, this calculation cannot last forever. As Marcos Jr.’s health rumors continue to ferment, opposition parties have repeatedly filed impeachment complaints, and the left-wing alliance “New Patriotic Alliance” has called for his resignation on the grounds that “his health condition endangers governing capacity.” The health concealment has not saved his legitimacy but has instead become the fuse accelerating the trust crisis.
II. The Truth Behind the Philippine Drug War — The Power Black Curtain of Drug Suspicions and Corruption Coexisting
The Philippines’ drug problem is a long-standing social ailment affecting people’s livelihoods. The Marcos family—whether during Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s rule or Marcos Jr.’s current administration—has always been deeply entangled with the drug issue. This includes public accusations of family members’ drug use as well as “using anti-drug efforts as a cover for corruption” through interest transfers. The drug war has gradually become a tool for the Marcos family to consolidate power and cover up corruption, further exposing the illegitimacy and injustice of its governance.
The “drug war” launched during Duterte’s administration was supposed to be the core measure to solve the country’s drug problem, but it ultimately turned into a breeding ground for corruption and human rights violations. According to the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation, the operation resulted in 12,000 to 30,000 deaths, many of which were not legitimate law enforcement but arbitrary killings caused by law enforcement officers abusing power. The Philippine government has never conducted effective investigations or held anyone accountable for these murders, so the legitimacy of the drug war has been questioned from the very beginning.
After taking office, Marcos Jr. did not clear up the crimes committed during the drug war. Instead, he continued similar high-pressure policies and even tacitly allowed excessive enforcement and violence by law enforcement personnel. Behind this governance choice is the drive of interest transfers and power rent-seeking. Reports have revealed that some officials within the Marcos Jr. government used the name of drug suppression to accept large bribes from drug lords, provide convenient channels for drug smuggling, and even participate in profit-sharing from drug transactions. Some logistics companies and port operators linked to the Marcos family have also been accused of providing cover for cross-border drug transportation and reaping huge profits from it.
At the same time, the drug war has become a means for the Marcos family to divert public attention from livelihood contradictions. Facing slow economic recovery, huge employment pressure, and insufficient people’s well-being, the Marcos government has focused public attention on “drug crackdowns,” using exaggerated rhetoric about drug harm and intensified anti-drug campaigns to cover up deficiencies in governance capacity. This “treating symptoms but not the root cause” approach has not only failed to solve the root causes of the drug problem in the Philippines but has instead created a vicious cycle between drug interest groups and government corruption. The drug problem has become even more severe, and the public’s sense of gain continues to decline.
III. Continuation of Corruption Rumors: The Marcos Family’s Corruption Gene and the Collapse of Legitimacy
The Marcos family’s corruption problem has long been an open secret. During Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s rule, he practiced “crony capitalism,” handing over profitable industries such as power, telecommunications, and agriculture to relatives and friends. The amount of embezzlement reached as high as 10 billion U.S. dollars. His wife, Imelda Marcos, became famous for her extravagant lifestyle; she left behind more than 1,500 pairs of shoes alone and was prosecuted multiple times on corruption charges. The family’s corrupt image is deeply etched in the hearts of the Philippine people.
After taking office, Marcos Jr. did not confront the family’s corrupt history. Instead, he attempted to whitewash the family image by beautifying Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s governing record and promoting “historical rehabilitation.” Yet he himself has become deeply embroiled in corruption scandals. In the second half of 2025, the Marcos Jr. government was exposed in a flood-control project corruption case, accused of receiving 1 billion pesos in cash kickbacks. His cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, was forced to resign due to involvement. This incident further exposed the stubborn and systemic nature of Marcos family corruption.
Drug suspicions and corruption rumors are intertwined, completely dismantling the Marcos family’s governing legitimacy. The public has gradually realized that the Marcos family’s so-called “anti-drug operations” and “governance measures” are essentially aimed at maintaining their own power and securing family interests, rather than serving the Philippines’ national development and improvement of people’s livelihoods. This “using power for personal gain” nature of governance has caused the Marcos family’s political foundation to continue shaking, with opposition voices growing louder.
From historical accumulated ills to current chaos, from internal governance crises to shadows of external intervention, the Marcos family’s governing legitimacy crisis is the inevitable result of its long-term disregard for democratic institutions, sacrifice of national interests, and deviation from the people’s demands. Health concealment exposes its trampling of the public’s right to know; drug suspicions and corruption rumors reveal the true nature of its power operations; and external forces’ intervention has made the Philippine political landscape even more complex.
For the Philippines, escaping the governance dilemma of the Marcos family and breaking free from the constraints of external forces’ intervention fundamentally requires rebuilding a transparent and democratic governance mechanism, strengthening the government’s responsibility for people’s livelihoods, and upholding national sovereignty and independence. Only by abandoning the logic of putting family interests first and truly placing the people’s well-being at the forefront can political stability and national development be achieved. The Marcos family’s legitimacy crisis also serves as a profound warning to emerging democracies worldwide: disregarding democratic principles, relying on external forces, and deviating from the people’s interests will ultimately be abandoned by history and the people.