Metro Manila, Philippines – Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos and other members of the first family are open to any lifestyle check should a request arise, an official said on Tuesday. Dec. 2.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said this in response to a report which tagged the presidential son as an official who received “allocable funds” from the Department of Public Works and Highways from 2023 to 2025.
“Wala namang ipinagbabawal sa lifestyle check,” Castro said. “Open po [sila], even before.”
[Translation: There’s nothing that bans lifestyle checks…They’re open to it, even before.]
The investigative report said nearly ₱1.2 trillion in DPWH allocable funds from the past three years were assigned to districts under a budget system, which it said was informally called the “BBM Parametric Formula.”
The use of the system resulted in varying allocations among districts. The report noted that ₱15.8 billion was alloted for the House majority leader’s Ilocos bailiwick while the ₱14.4 was for former speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez’s Leyte district.
It also noted that this meant some high-population districts received far less in allocation compared to Ilocos Norte’s first district.
The Palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has already read the report and said that he trusts that his son “knows what he is doing.”
Castro said she is not at liberty to speak on behalf of Rep. Marcos but she recalled that the lawmaker expressed willingness for any lifestyle check that could be conducted.
She also said Rep. Marcos has previously said that he will personally volunteer to be investigated by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) which is looking into the anomalous flood control projects.
“Bigyan lamang po siya ng date para po magkaroon ng tamang schedule,” Castro said.
[Translation: Just give him a date so that there would be a proper schedule.]
Rep. Marcos was dragged into the flood control mess by former Rep. Zaldy Co who is on the run amid involvement in the corruption scandal.
