Inquirer.net and Philstar.com probe the underlying politics of Marcos family drama 

CHEERS TO Philstar.com and Inquirer.net for their treatment of the family drama involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his older sister, Imee; including context, history, and the politics underlying the family feud.  

The messy and very public conflict between the president and his sister erupted on November 17, 2025, when Imee grabbed headlines when she alleged that her brother and his family were using illegal drugs. The revelation exposed a long-standing issue that provoked widespread speculation.

Most of the initial reports focused on what was said, picking up extensive quotes: a sitting president openly charged by his own sister for his use of illegal drugs. But most of the initial reports lacked even minimal background, presenting the event as an isolated incident, with hardly any reference to the break from the administration’s Senate slate in March 2025, her policy disagreements with her brother which she had voiced as early as September 2023, or the divergence of their positions on questions related to flood-control projects.

Without the broad context, the story was reduced to soap-opera politics — dramatic but divested of any political significance. 

Two reports stood out for providing the necessary background to understand Imee’s theatrics. On November 20, Jean Mangaluz of Philstar.com reframed the feud in political rather than personal terms. Citing public policy analyst Dindo Manhit and sociologist Athena Charanne Presto, Magaluz drew out the political significance of the family quarrel. 

Manhit argued that the timing of Imee Marcos’s allegations, made during a rally tied to the ongoing flood-control fund scandal, was suspicious, as he questioned why she would endorse her brother’s run if she believed he used illegal drugs. Manhit said this appears to be “part of the broader attempt to create instability in our country,” warning that the charge, though unproven, amplifies political issues and contributes to “political polarization.”

Presto, for her part, viewed Imee’s public denunciation as a sign of an internal struggle for control over the Marcos family legacy. She suggested that rather than a spontaneous outburst of personal grievance, it could also reflect her political ambition. 

Meanwhile, Kurt Dela Pena of Inquirer.net provided the same context by establishing the timeline of the sibling feud. On November 18, Dela Pena’s report reviewed the relationship and offered a clear, chronological reconstruction of its slow unraveling. The report traced key moments marking the siblings’ drift: disagreements over appointments and policy direction, Imee’s public criticism of her brother’s decisions, her withdrawal from the Marcos-endorsed senatorial slate, and the increasing divergence in their political alliances. The timeline also positioned the latest accusation within this arc, showing that the feud did not explode out of nowhere but had already caused long-standing friction, which surfaced intermittently in public statements and political maneuvering of the two siblings.  

Framing the story as a political conflict, the reports could not devolve into mere gossip and hearsay. 

Philstar.com relied on experts for insights into dynastic competition and connected the feud to other controversial cases of corruption. The Inquirer offered structure and memory, supplying readers with a factual timeline that showed the present moment as part of a long-standing pattern of divergent politics within the Marcos family. 

The two online accounts demonstrated the value of context, which should inform the story from the outset. Breaking news may not always allow for full explainers or interviews, but these reports should include the necessary background to situate the development in Philippine politics. 

Reporting on current events should focus on their significance while avoiding unnecessary drama. Journalism needs to interpret the meaning behind exchanges by asking direct questions and connecting events to their broader context. Imee Marcos’ criticism of her brother, the president, should be seen alongside her affinity for Sara Duterte, hinting at her political ambitions. Quotes from her speech to the Iglesia ni Kristo should spur further inquiry into her intentions. Journalists must look beyond political noise to uncover deeper meanings that might be overlooked.