TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA
Sandro Marcos has gained over a million followers on his Twitter account after actively campaigning for his father, Sen. Bongbong Marcos, over the summer
His surname alone denotes a life of unimaginable privilege, but believe it or not, Ferdinand Alexander Araneta Marcos 3rd rides a bus, makes his own bed, and does his own laundry like any regular twentysomething. Never mind that he lives this “regular” life in London, for like his mother, lawyer Liza Marcos, rationally pointed out, how can he learn to fend for himself in the Philippines where help is readily available.
“That’s why we sent our sons abroad to study so they can learn to be independent,” she told The Sunday Times Magazine over lunch with Sandro and her husband, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. “He’s as regular as regular can get; in fact, I came home the other night and he and his dad were cooking dinner for me in the kitchen!”
Sandro, 22, is the eldest of the Marcoses’ three sons—followed by Simon, 21; and Vince, 19—and is definitely the most popular one among his brothers. When he came with his parents to lunch, all eyes were on the very friendly political scion, who suffered endless ribbing from the senator and his wife for overshadowing them.
“Ever since the campaign,” said Sen. Marcos who had just returned to the Upper Chamber of Congress after his vice presidential bid in May, “his mom and I have just become his alalay [body guards] wherever we go! When people take pictures, we’re just Sandro’s photo bombers.”
Both dad and mom clearly enjoyed teasing their eldest, whose achievements, both in school and in his first foray in the political arena make them very proud.
Sandro, who just completed his major in International Politics at City University London, is eyeing the London School of Economics for a master’s degree. He has been living and studying in England for the past 11 years, but told The Sunday Times Magazine that after he finishes post-graduate studies, he will come home to the Philippines for good.
“That’s the rule of my parents—to come home when you’re done with your education,” Sandro elaborated. “I’ve been away for so long since I also went to boarding school over there, and I think my parents are scared if I work in London, I’ll never come home,” he added laughing.
For a bit of trivia, Sandro also shared in a previous interview with The Manila Times that just like most college kids do in London, he would also work for extra money in his spare time. Luckily, his love for music afforded him a fun and profitable sideline as he would DJ for parties and get paid for his hobby.
Asked what career he sees himself choosing eventually, Sandro, who impressed large crowds when he spoke about his dad during the campaign over the summer, replied, “Naturally, everyone would think politics. At this point, I’ll just say I’m not opposed to it, so we’ll see.”
And with over a million Twitter followers and counting—a huge majority o f which seem to come from the opposite sex—talent agents, advertising executives as well as TV and movie producers also hope that Sandro would consider going into show business.
Brushing the idea aside, he simply said of his fame, “I’m overwhelmed by it; I don’t think about it too much because if you pay attention to it, and let all of it affect you, you won’t be able to carry on and be yourself.”
More humbly this time, the privileged Marcos added after a thoughtful pause, “But you know, I wouldn’t call it popularity, what they say about me. I’d call it support from so many Filipinos who believe in my dad.”