Questions over Tantoco death hang over Marcos’ US trip

THE administration mouthpiece embedded in this paper threw the worst vitriol he could think of against those who have raised national security issues over first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ whereabouts when billionaire scion Paolo Tantoco was dying of cocaine overdose in a Beverly Hills hotel.

Indeed, for a cheap political prostitute — paid P40,000 monthly as the state-owned PTV-4’s vice chairman — the analogy that came to his mind is that Tantoco’s death was turned into “political pornography.” I got a headache trying to wrap my mind around that analogy. He’s earning his keep too enthusiastically. Following are the established facts over this episode:

1. Paolo Tantoco was the husband of the Palace’s deputy social secretary, Dina Arroyo Tantoco, the first lady’s de facto executive officer for her project to promote the Manila International Film Festival from March 4 to 7 in Hollywood and to attend an event hosted by risk services firm Applied Underwriters. The event, called “Meeting of the Minds,” was attended by several notable figures, including Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Tantoco, being the husband of the deputy social secretary, was therefore an unofficial member of Mrs. Marcos’ entourage.

2. Tantoco was pronounced dead March 8 at 12:05 p.m. by a paramedic, after Beverly Hills police were dispatched to it at 11:30 a.m. The Los Angeles Coroner issued a report four months later on July 9 that Tantoco died of “cocaine effects.” It had a note, “Other Significant condition: Probably Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.”

3. Mrs. Marcos attended the celebratory party in the evening (no details about the time made available) of March 7 at Beverly Hills Hotel, where the Tantocos were staying. A video was posted on Facebook showing her dancing at the party with Mr. Tantoco.

4. Posts on Facebook, particularly of a police report the Palace claimed was fake, alleged that Mrs. Marcos had dinner with the Tantoco couple and other close friends at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, when Tantoco’s first symptoms of cocaine overdose emerged. The posts also claimed that the first lady was in the room with Mrs. Tantoco when the Beverly Hills police arrived at 11:30 and that they invited her, Mrs. Tantoco, and one Alexa Miro (whom I reported was rumored to be presidential son Sandro Marcos’ girlfriend) for questioning over Mr. Tantoco’s death.

Palace spokesperson Claire Castro denied that the first lady was questioned by the police, much less invited to its headquarters for questioning.

She also denied that she had stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel, but refused to name the hotel.

Tampered

5. The Beverly Hills police claimed that an earlier report circulating in media was “tampered,” and that the only information it released was the following:

“On Saturday, March 8, 2025 at approximately 1130 hours officer were dispatched [sic] 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, officer took over with life saving measures and subject was pronounced dead at 1205 hours by paramedic.”

The police denied it released the following information, which it claimed was added to the above: “(T)he cause initially suspected to be drug overdose, White powder suspected to be cocaine has been scattered and on floor. Companions of the victim were summoned by BHPD for questioning, which [sic} were Dinah Arroyo Tantoco, Liza Araneta Marcos, and Alexa Miro.”

6. Five days after the Los Angeles County coroner released his July 9 report that Tantoco had died of opium overdose, on July 14, the US State Department invited President and Mrs. Marcos to Washington for a “working visit.” That was completely unexpected, even inexplicable, given the number of serious crises Trump has had to face, from his supporters’ outrage over his refusal to release the Epstein files to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s incessant bombing of Palestinians at the Gaza Strip, which the US president had publicly demanded several weeks ago to stop.

Difficult

I find it difficult to believe, though, that the police “Death Investigation” had only three sentences and didn’t describe even just the obviously important details they saw, such as white powder scattered on the floor.

It is also difficult to believe that they didn’t report that they questioned people who were in the room when Tantoco expired, as there was the probability that they didn’t call for help as soon as he showed symptoms of cocaine overdose, which would be criminal negligence. If the first lady, Mrs. Tantoco and Alexa Miro weren’t the companions of the victim, then who were, and who did the police question about the death? Nobody?

I don’t think Mrs. Marcos is so black-hearted that she refused to be with Mrs. Tantoco, who would have called her for help to save her dying husband.

The rational conclusion is that the three-sentence Beverly Hills police report was the document that was tampered, after the Marcos administration requested the State Department to demand on national-security grounds that the second paragraph with Mrs. Marcos’ name — which was the first report that went viral on social media — be deleted in its official report.

For what purpose? For leverage in the coming talks between the two heads of state, with the US blackmailing Marcos that a full police report would be publicly released on the tragedy if our president refuses to do whatever the US wants — more military bases perhaps or a lopsided trade deal so favorable to the US? That would be a walk in the park for a country that regularly manufactures gargantuan lies — for example, that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction” and therefore must be invaded by US troops.

$5.6 billion

I bet the US has already told Marcos that he has to sign the agreement to buy old 16 F-16C Block 70/72 fighter jets and four F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft for $5.6 billion, which Trump wants to show to the world how a great salesman works — or else they make public details of Tantoco’s tragedy, and who are criminally liable for not getting immediately emergency medical help.

A meeting with the most powerful couple in the world — now President Donald and Melania Trump — is the most cherished dream of a Philippine president and his wife, the highest point in the career of any political couple.

Why did the first lady beg off and instead went to Saudi Arabia for unscheduled hurriedly arranged meetings with overseas workers’ organizations?

The only logical reason is that the first lady and her husband aren’t sure that she won’t be held in the US for questioning over Tantoco’s death, and even be accused of some crime involving it.

If the first lady or her husband can’t adequately explain why she refused to accompany her husband to a working trip to the US, and to come absolutely clean on this Tantoco controversy, the agreements Marcos signs with Trump will be suspected as done under duress.

Marcos better sign only agreements quite obviously favoring the country.

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Questions over Tantoco death hang over Marcos’ US trip
Source: Breaking News PH