Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro has firmly denied social media rumors that First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos was detained in Los Angeles, California, or any other location.
In a Viber message to Palace reporters on Thursday, March 13, The First Lady arrived safely in Manila early Monday morning, dispelling claims of her alleged detainment.
“There is no truth that [First Lady Liza Marcos] was held by any law enforcers while in LA or any other place,” Castro said.
“FL arrived in Manila at around 5 a.m. (on Monday). At 5:58 a.m., she was already on her way to her place from the airport,” she added.
The clarification comes in response to several Facebook posts alleging that the First Lady was detained in Los Angeles.
The posts falsely claimed that her detainment was connected to the death of Rustan Commercial Corporation’s (RCC) executive Juan Paolo Tantoco, who passed away in the United States on March 9, 2025 at the age of 44 years old. No evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims, and authorities have dismissed them as baseless.
The First Lady undertook a working visit to the United States from March 5 to 8, participating in the Meeting of the Minds conference and attending the Manila International Film Festival. Her itinerary included visits in Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.
Upon her return, on March 11, Marcos spearheaded the turnover of donations to the Girl Scouts of the Philippines during an event held at her office in Manila. (TCSP)
