ATOM Rejects Marcos' Denial of Family's Ill-Gotten Wealth

The August Twenty One Movement on Saturday rejected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s denial that his family's wealth was ill-gotten, calling the claim "absolute fake news" it said it would not allow to pass.

Marcos made the statement at a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Friday, repeating the answer he gave in a 2024 interview with Australian journalist Sarah Ferguson. ATOM said the denial came as no surprise.

"But we, the August Twenty-One Movement, vehemently disagree with this claim of Mr. Marcos Jr. This is untrue and absolute fake news! We will not just let this pass without disputing this new claim of his. Which is not really surprising, considering that the Marcos brand has always been known to be associated with lies and propaganda," the movement said.

"Be that as it may, getting to Malacanang does not entitle him to distort Philippine history. Getting to Malacanang should not give anyone, for that matter, the audacity to violate the truth. But what can a man who was born and raised by a family that treats falsehood as their basic need to abuse others do? Well, Bongbong still lies every time he gets the chance because, to him, it is just the way life is. Perhaps the Marcos children simply cannot handle or discern the truth," the group added.

ATOM also cited the case of the President's mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos. The Sandiganbayan, the Philippines' anti-graft court, sentenced her to 6 to 11 years in prison after she was found to have illegally funneled $200 million to Swiss foundations in the 1970s while serving as governor of Metro Manila.

"Many victims of Martial Law rejoiced with this news; she was, after all, the second half of the Conjugal Dictatorship that ruled our country with an iron fist for almost two decades. Unfortunately, until now, we have not heard what happened in that case," ATOM said. "This shows how powerful the Marcoses and the Romualdezes have been ever since. No one from the dictatorship ever spent a day in jail after 1986. This is why a Marcos copycat rose to power, Rodrigo Duterte," the movement added.

Marcos spoke at the Diamond Hotel in Manila before the luncheon Friday. "Today, that responsibility has become even more demanding as information, whether true or fabricated, whether AI-generated or deliberately manipulated, can spread instantly across digital platforms," he said.

ATOM traces its roots to the movement that helped oust Marcos Sr. in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. The group's name marks Aug. 21, 1983, the day opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated at Manila's airport. The 43rd anniversary of Aquino's death falls Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.