But where was the first lady when the tragedy unfolded?

PALACE apologist Claire Castro claimed that first lady Louise Araneta-Marcos was not with Juan Paolo Tantoco on March 8, when the luxury retail executive died from an accidental cocaine overdose.

She dismissed as “fake” the Beverly Hills police report that went viral on social media, which purportedly said Araneta-Marcos was among Tantoco’s companions at the time of his death. She claimed that detail had been added to the report circulating online, in an attempt to connect the first lady to Tantoco’s death — an incident that happened while she was also in Beverly Hills to promote a Philippine film festival.

Castro also denied a report from a US publication that Tantoco was part of the first lady’s “entourage.”

In her usual belligerent stance toward the media, she even said Malacañang was studying legal actions against groups and individuals spreading “fake news.”

To use that famous Shakespearean line from Hamlet: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Shakespeare meant that one’s excessive denials or protestations of innocence are, in fact, signs of guilt or insincerity.

In this case, Castro is telling us that the first lady was nowhere near Tantoco as he was dying of a cocaine overdose in the late hours of March 7 to the early morning of March 8.

Cover-up

Indeed, I suspect a major cover-up for a dark episode has been under way in the past four months after Tantoco died on March 8. Notably, other than Castro, one other writer reported that the Beverly Hills Police themselves claimed the viral social media report was not authentic.

I myself emailed the Beverly Hills Police to ask if the report was authentic. You don’t need to ask the Philippine consulate, as one can get in touch with the Beverly Hills police directly from Manila.

One Lt. Chris Coulter of the Bureau of Investigative Services replied: “The document you have provided was altered and that information was NOT released by the Beverly Hills Police Department.” He sent a second email clarifying that the real police report did not contain the sentence: “Companions of the victim were summoned to the BHPD (Beverly Hills Police Department) for questioning, which were Dinah Arroyo Tantoco, Liza Araneta-Marcos and Alexa Miro.”

I found Coulter’s reply revealing. He didn’t deny that the three were summoned for questioning, nor did he categorically label it as “false.” He merely stated, “that information was not released or verified by the BHPD.”

That begs the question: Where was the first lady during the period between the evening of March 7—when the celebratory party for her project to promote the Manila International Film Festival in Hollywood was held at the Beverly Hills Hilton—and the morning of March 8, when police were called and arrived at the suite around 11:30 a.m.? Tantoco, after life-saving measures by the police failed, was pronounced dead at 12:05 p.m.

Head

The first lady was not only the head of the delegation promoting the Manila International Film Festival in Hollywood from March 4 to 7 — she was the highest-ranking official of the group.

With a reputation of loving parties, I find it hard to believe Mrs. Marcos retired to her suite early and slept through March 7; that she was oblivious to the tragedy of Tantoco’s cocaine overdose as it unfolded. Palace mouthpiece Castro did not specify what the first lady was doing, and our usually timid Malacañang press corps failed to ask.

In fact, videos have circulated on social media showing Mrs. Marcos dancing, even with a wine glass in hand, at the party. While the Palace denied Tantoco was part of the official entourage, he was the husband of Deputy Social Secretary Dina Arroyo-Tantoco, making him a de facto member of the group. If Mrs. Marcos was in her room, Dina would surely have called her to ask what she should do — given the sensitivity of a fatal drug overdose at a first lady’s party.

The most important task of deputy social secretaries is to accompany the president or first lady at all times during social events. It was highly improbable for Dina not to be with Mrs. Marcos from March 7 to 8.

‘Eyewitness’

According to one allegedly “eyewitness” account — which, I emphasize, I cannot independently verify — it was at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, a kilometer from the Beverly Hills Hilton, of a smaller group close to the first lady, that included Mrs. Marcos and the Tantocos, when Tantoco first showed signs of distress: “sweating, incoherent speech, disorientation.”

According to this account, Mrs. Marcos escorted Tantoco back to his room at the Beverly Hills Hilton around 10:35 p.m. on March 7. Tantoco, it’s claimed, later rejoined the party, which continued in the penthouse until 1 a.m. of March 8.

One alleged eyewitness, a male, reported that between 4:45 and 5:15 a.m., Mr. Tantoco began convulsing, and he suggested calling emergency services. Since I cannot verify this account, I cannot report Mrs. Marcos’ response, which would be highly controversial. The convulsions became intermittent and ceased at 11 a.m., when Tantoco was found unresponsive, and the hotel front desk was called for help. From this point on, events are in the police report confirmed by Lt. Coulter:

“On Saturday, March 8, 2025, at approximately 1130 hours, officers were dispatched to the Beverly Hilton Hotel regarding a person not breathing. Officers entered the room and observed hotel security performing chest compressions on an unconscious male subject (previously identified as Tantoco). Officers took over with life-saving measures, and the subject was pronounced deceased at 1205 hours by paramedics.”

Negligence

If this is truly what occurred — and I stress that I cannot verify all of this — the delay in seeking medical help could constitute criminal negligence, or obstruction of emergency care, bordering on involuntary manslaughter.

The police report claimed by Lt. Coulter did not mention that Dina Arroyo-Tantoco, Liza Araneta-Marcos and one Alexa Miro — an actress rumored to be presidential son Sandro’s girlfriend — were summoned to the BHPD for questioning. Still, an earlier set of “Crime Scene Observations,” purportedly leaked to social media by a Filipino lawyer in Beverly Hills using the pseudonym “Deen Chase,” stated:

“The following individuals have been listed as persons of interest and are subject to questioning.” Five names were listed, but “Deen Chase” redacted them.

It is entirely rational that the Beverly Hills police would ask those in the room where Tantoco died to come to headquarters to give sworn statements about what they immediately determined was a death by cocaine overdose, occurring during a party.

It is irrational to believe the first lady was not among these, given her role as head of the delegation, who also hosted the party.

Investigation

Both the police report and the Los Angeles coroner’s findings raise important, unanswered questions — so much so that Sen. Imee Marcos has, appropriately, called for a Senate investigation. The senator — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s own sister — said the Palace must issue a comprehensive report on the matter, “given the gravity of these allegations and the matter’s undeniable public interest.”

Such a Senate hearing would reveal the truth. There were at least two dozen people at the party until the early morning. If someone was suffering a life-threatening overdose, word would have quickly spread.

They could clarify if Mrs. Marcos was present or already in her room. The Palace’s mouthpiece claimed Mrs. Marcos had escorts from the Presidential Security Group with her. They can disclose what actually happened. The most crucial witness, of course, would be Dina Tantoco. If her husband’s death resulted from criminal negligence — a delay in seeking emergency help — she would surely acknowledge it, to honor her husband’s memory.

And why does this all matter? If the witnesses’ accounts are accurate, the first lady could face criminal charges for negligence. Should the Beverly Hills police merely conclude that there was such negligence, the resulting scandal would be so damaging to the administration that calls for Marcos to resign would be universal.

A real national security threat would emerge if US President Donald Trump used this controversy to blackmail Marcos to extract concessions from us — maybe more bases, airports or seaports for US military use. Four months — from March 8, when Tantoco died, to July 8, when the coroner released its report — is plenty of time for US intelligence to “clean things up” and create a scenario for blackmail. It’s notable enough that Marcos was invited to Washington — unexpectedly, in most analysts’ view — on July 14, barely a week after the coroner’s findings.

I hope I’m wrong. For if Trump does indeed have leverage from this Tantoco-Liza episode, he “holds Marcos’ balls,” as one retired army general posted in social media. Otherwise, we may be headed for yet another political crisis, just to ensure our President is not manipulated by the United States.

Facebook: Rigoberto Tiglao

Twitter: @bobitiglao

Archives: www.rigobertotiglao.com

Book orders: www.rigobertotiglao.com/shop

The post But where was the first lady when the tragedy unfolded? first appeared on Rigoberto Tiglao.

But where was the first lady when the tragedy unfolded?
Source: Breaking News PH