Imee Marcos Biography: Controversy, Net Worth, Marriage, Ethnicity, Parents, Books, Politics, Age, Children

Imee Marcos is a Filipino senator, former Ilocos Norte governor, and film producer whose public profile has been shaped by both lineage and longevity in politics.

As the eldest child of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and Imelda Romualdez Marcos, she was visible to the politics early on, then built her own career through elected posts in Ilocos Norte and a Senate win in 2019.

Outside electoral politics, she also became associated with government-backed filmmaking during the early 1980s through the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, a period that linked her name to high-profile productions that remain widely discussed in Philippine cinema.

Profile

• Full name: Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios Romualdez Marcos-Manotoc
• Nickname: Imee
• Date of birth: November 12, 1955
• Age: 70 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Mandaluyong, Rizal, Philippines
• State of origin: Ilocos Norte, Philippines
• Nationality: Filipino
• Profession: Politician, senator, former governor, film producer
• Parents: Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.,Imelda Romualdez Marcos
• Siblings: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.; Irene Romualdez-Marcos Araneta
• Spouse: Thomas “Tommy” La’O Manotoc
• Children: Fernando Martin Romualdez Marcos Manotoc,Ferdinand Richard Michael Marcos Manotoc,Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc
• Relationship status: Separated/estranged
• Religion: Roman Catholic
• Ethnicity: Filipina
• Net worth: ₱100,000,000

Early Life and education

Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios Romualdez Marcos-Manotoc, born on November 12, 1955, is now 70 years old. She was born into the Marcos family at a time when her father would soon become one of the Philippines’ most dominant political figures, and her childhood unfolded alongside the visibility and restrictions that come with a first family.

She is consistently described as the eldest child of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and she has remained closely identified with the family’s Ilocos Norte power base even while much of her early life was centered in Metro Manila and, later, abroad.

Her schooling became a long-running public talking point decades later, partly because campaign biographies and public introductions sometimes implied degrees that schools said were not awarded.

She attended Princeton University in the 1970s, but Princeton officials, cited in Philippine media coverage, stated their records do not show her being awarded a degree.

She also enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Law, yet her completion of a degree there has likewise been disputed in public fact-checking and institutional statements discussed in major Philippine news coverage.

Personal Life

In the early 1980s, Imee Marcos—then one of the most closely watched members of the Marcos family—married golfer and sports figure Tommy Manotoc, a union that drew attention far beyond the society pages and quickly became politically charged.

News coverage at the time repeatedly pointed to a legal complication: divorce was generally not permitted under Philippine law, yet Manotoc had reportedly obtained a divorce abroad before the marriage, raising public questions about how that divorce would be treated in the Philippines and feeding controversy around the couple’s status.

Not long after their U.S. wedding, Manotoc’s sudden disappearance turned into international news, with reports describing an active police search alongside a flood of competing claims—allegations, counter-allegations, and denials—about where he was and what had happened.

Marcos and Manotoc have three sons: Fernando Martin Romualdez Marcos Manotoc (“Borgy”), Ferdinand Richard Michael Marcos Manotoc (“Mike”), and Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc (“MJ”). Over the years, the sons have appeared intermittently in political and business reporting, including stories based on leaked offshore documents that associated Marcos and her children with specific entities and trust arrangements.

Career

Imee Marcos’ public career is often traced back to youth organizing during her father Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s administration. She became prominently associated with the Kabataang Barangay (KB), a government-backed national youth organization of that period, and that early visibility is frequently described as the starting point of her long involvement in public life.

From there, accounts of her career typically describe a shift into work connected to media and culture, before she later moved into elective politics.

In film and media, she is commonly linked to the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines (ECP)—a government-owned corporation established in 1982 to promote local filmmaking and strengthen the film industry.

In narratives about the institution, Marcos is identified as serving as its director-general, and her name is often mentioned in discussions of projects and productions associated with the ECP period.

Years later, she was credited as a producer of the multimedia film Pintakasi, which competed in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) New Wave feature category and won top recognition there.

Her electoral career is most closely identified with Ilocos Norte, where she built her main political base. She served as a member of the House of Representatives for Ilocos Norte’s 2nd district (1998–2007), and later returned to provincial leadership as governor of Ilocos Norte (2010–2019).

In 2019, she won a seat in the Senate, extending her political trajectory onto the national stage. Commentaries about her Ilocos Norte years often highlight governance themes she herself emphasizes—such as jobs, tourism, and agriculture—while national coverage frequently frames her as presenting an “independent voice,” even when operating alongside larger political alliances.

Awards

• Best Full-Length Film (New Wave Awards), 37th Metro Manila Film Festival, Pintakasi (2011) (as producer)

Net worth

Imee Marco’s net worth is around ₱100,000,000. Her wealth is derived from a mix of personal assets and long-term family-linked holdings alongside earnings from decades in public office and private ventures.

Social Media

• Instagram: @imeemarcos
• Twitter/X: @SenImeeMarcos

Filmography

• Himala (1982)
• Oro, Plata, Mata (1982)
• Pintakasi (2011)

Books

• PinakBest! Recipes from the Marcos Kitchen and More (2022)