PALACE Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro refuted on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the claims linking First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to the death of Rustan’s retail empire heir, Juan Paolo Tantoco.
In a press conference, Castro said the viral document that showed an alleged portion of a Beverly Hills Police Department report pertaining to Tantoco's death was fake and manipulated in order to implicate the First Lady and other government officials and personalities.
Indicated in the said portion was Tantoco’s cause of death and his companions who were summoned by the police for questioning, including Araneta-Marcos.
(It’s disheartening because private individuals who are grieving are being dragged into politics. Some obstructionists are using this to smear the First Lady, the President, and this administration. What they are doing is shameful.)
“Nag-start ang mga salitang 'and the cause of initially suspected to be drug overdose, up to the word ending in 'Miro' iyan po ay idinagdag lamang. Ito ay mga gawain upang masira ang Unang Ginang, ang Pangulo at ang administrasyon na ito para sa pang-personal na interes,” said Castro.
(It started with the words “and the cause of initially suspected to be drug overdose,” up to the word ending in “Miro” — those were just added. These are actions meant to destroy the First Lady, the President, and this administration for personal interests.)
Castro noted that Tantoco was not part of the official entourage of Araneta-Marcos during the promotion of the Manila International Film Festival in Hollywood from March 4 to 7.
She said Tantoco and Araneta-Marcos also did not stay in the same hotel during the said period.
Castro also showed several clips showing the activities attended by Araneta-Marcos on March 8.
“Makikita po ninyo sa screen na mayroong konsyerto para sa Filipino. Makikita ninyo sa larawan din, Secretary Christina Frasco, March 8 iyan ginanap, hapon hanggang gabi. Paano masasabi ng mga obstructionist na ito, ng mga Facebook peddlers na ito ang patungkol sa nakita nilang mga tao doon sa vicinity, kaya po iyan ay idinagdag lamang,” she said.
(You can see on the screen that there was a concert for Filipinos. You can also see in the photo, Secretary Christina Frasco — this was held on March 8, from afternoon until evening. How can these obstructionists, these Facebook peddlers, claim things based on the people they supposedly saw in the vicinity? That’s why it’s clear those details were just fabricated.)
“Nandito naman po iyon sa Facebook ng Unang Ginang. Pero kahit ito po ay nasa Facebook, at ito po ay naire-report naman, pilit nilang binabago ang kuwento at nakakalungkot, dahil kapwa Filipino ang kanilang niloloko para sa kanilang personal na interes,” she added.
(That is already on the First Lady’s Facebook page. But even though it’s on Facebook and has already been reported, they keep twisting the story. It’s disheartening because they are deceiving their fellow Filipinos for their own personal interests.)
On Monday, July 14, Senator Imee Marcos urged the Malacañang to issue a comprehensive report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Tantoco and explain the alleged “direct or indirect” involvement of the First Lady or other Philippine government officials in the incident.
The Los Angeles Deputy Medical Officer earlier confirmed that Tantoco, 44, died of a cocaine overdose at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, USA on March 8, 2025.
The examiner ruled the death was accidental, with cocaine effects as the cause and probable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)