Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc (born December 9, 1988) is a Filipino politician and athlete who serves as the
governor of Ilocos Norte. He was a senior provincial board member from the second legislative district of Ilocos Norte from 2016 to 2019.
He is a member of the
Marcos
Marcos may refer to:
People with the given name ''Marcos''
*Marcos (given name)
* Marcos family
Sports
;Surnamed
* Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century)
* Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer
* Né ...
political family. His maternal grandfather,
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
, was a former president and dictator of the Philippines. His mother,
Imee Marcos
Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos-Manotoc (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipino politician and film producer serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator since 2019. She previously served as governor of Ilocos Norte ...
, currently serves as a senator, while his maternal uncle,
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, is the sitting president.
Early life and education

Manotoc was born on December 9, 1988,
as the youngest son of Imee Romualdez Marcos and Tommy La'O Manotoc. His parents were in exile in Morocco at the time of his birth, reportedly using false passports.
In 2006, he moved to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to study psychology at
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...
.
He later attended a short course in sports management at the
University of California-Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
in 2014 and a short course in management development at the Asian Institute of Management in 2017. In 2018, he took a short course in Harnessing Organizational and Individual Capacities for Excellent Services in Local Government Units at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a public, coeducational, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It was established on February 12, 1949, as the flagsh ...
. In 2021, he pursued an executive course in Agricultural Development at
Mariano Marcos State University
Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU; ) is a public university, higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac.
History
Established through Pres ...
in Batac. In 2023, he attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...
.
Political career
Ilocos Norte Provincial Board (2016–2019)
Manotoc ran as a
provincial board member representing the
2nd legislative district of Ilocos Norte in the
2016 Philippine local elections
Local elections in the Philippines were held on May 9, 2016. This was conducted together with the 2016 general election for national positions. All elected positions above the barangay (village) level were disputed.
Electoral system
Every local ...
. Manotoc won the election and was declared to be the Senior Provincial Board Member of Ilocos Norte.
His mother Imee Marcos, was
governor of Ilocos Norte during his campaign and was running uncontested for her third and final term in the
2016 gubernatorial elections. From 2016 to 2019, Manotoc was also chairman of the
National Movement of Young Legislators
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
– Ilocos Norte Chapter.
Governor of Ilocos Norte (2019–present)

In October 2018, Manotoc filed his Certificate of Candidacy to run for vice governor of Ilocos Norte in the
2019 Philippine gubernatorial elections
Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 13, 2019. All provinces elected their provincial governors for three-year terms, who will be inaugurated on June 30, 2019 after their proclamation. Governors that are currently serving ...
as the running mate of his grandmother, Imelda Marcos.
However, Marcos withdrew from the race in November 2018 following her graft conviction, and Manotoc was named as her substitute.
He won the race unopposed after
Rodolfo Fariñas
Rodolfo "Rudy" Castro Fariñas, Sr. (born September 5, 1951) is a Filipino lawyer, politician and the former Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the ...
withdrew days before the election,
succeeding his mother, who had successfully run for senator.
In 2022, Manotoc announced that nearly ₱700 million was allocated to Ilocos Norte's health system as part of the Provincial Government's efforts to improve health services in the province. Over ₱650 million was used for infrastructure, while ₱35 million was dedicated to purchasing COVID-19 and other infectious disease response logistics, including medicines, emergency medical equipment and supplies, personal protective equipment, testing kits, and vaccines.
Manotoc also founded "Speak Up, I’m Here,"
a mental health center and hotline that serves locals dealing with isolation, pressure, and other challenges. The center has provided services to various groups, including adolescents, frontliners, returning residents, and COVID-19 patients in isolation. Additionally, he launched the "Search for the Best Mental Health Practices" initiative, which emphasizes a community-based approach to mental health, as well as offering art therapy sessions, mental health break camps, and psychosocial support training.
In support of preventive healthcare, Manotoc advocated for the creation of new parks in the province, including barangay eco-parks. Each barangay was allocated ₱200,000 to establish or improve its park, including a vegetable farm.
The provincial government also implemented several agricultural projects, such as farm-to-market roads, small farm reservoirs, water impounding projects, multi-purpose drying pavements, tractors, combine harvesters, tobacco curing barns, and a focus on shifting to high-value crops, with investments worth billions of pesos.
During the African Swine Fever outbreak, Manotoc ordered the provincial government to take immediate action to trace contacts and prevent the spread of infections. He initiated the distribution of relief packs to those affected, provided sprayers and disinfectants, facilitated indemnifications or payouts, allocated funds for uninsured individuals, and supported alternative livelihoods to protect the livestock sector.
The Provincial Government launched "Agri ka Dito," a flagship program under the Office of the Governor that aimed to support community farmers and fisherfolk by providing immediate assistance in response to rising agricultural input costs.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provincial Board passed ordinances allocating Php 370 million in cash to support vulnerable Ilokanos. This financial assistance was provided through cash-for-work programs, emergency livelihood support, "pay now, work later" schemes, interest-free loans, and skills training programs.
Micro, small, and medium enterprises received financial aid, microfinancing packages, livelihood starter kits, and equipment. In 2021 alone,
the Provincial Government allocated Php 40 million in cash to local entrepreneurs. Additionally, Manotoc waived the governor’s Developmental Fees for non-essential businesses affected by the pandemic.
Under Manotoc’s leadership, Ilocos Norte became the first and only province to receive a safe travel stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Manotoc also provided accident insurance policies for public utility vehicle drivers and increased financial assistance for nearly 4,000 drivers, in addition to over ₱40 million in cash aid in 2021, to help them during the global energy crisis.
Furthermore, he led the "Bike-to-Work" initiative, encouraging employees to adopt environmentally friendly and convenient alternative transportation through cycling activities.
2025 vice gubernatorial campaign
On October 1, 2024, Manotoc initially filed his candidacy for his third and final consecutive term as governor of Ilocos Norte in
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
. However, on October 8, he withdrew his candidacy and instead filed for Vice Governor. In his stead, incumbent Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos filed her candidacy for Governor, with him as her running mate. Manotoc is running unopposed.
Personal life
Manotoc is the grandson of
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
and former First Lady
Imelda Marcos
Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand ...
.
His uncle,
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is the current
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
since 2022.
Manotoc is both a golfer and a basketball player.
He was a basketball coach at the
International School Manila
International School Manila (abbreviation: ISM or IS Manila) is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian international school located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1920 as the American School by a group of Am ...
and a co-founder of Espiritu Manotoc Basketball Management.
In 2019, it was reported that he was dating
Miss Earth 2014
Miss Earth 2014 was the 14th edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the University of the Philippines Theater in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on November 29, 2014.
Alyz Henrich of Venezuela crowned Jamie Herrell of the Philippi ...
Jamie Herrell
Jamie Herrell (; born July 12, 1994) is a Filipina news anchor and beauty pageant titleholder. She won Miss Philippines Earth 2014 and Miss Earth 2014. Herrell was a recipient of the Outstanding Individual Award during the 80th Cebu City Chart ...
. In 2025, they became engaged.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manotoc, Matthew
1988 births
Living people
Governors of Ilocos Norte
Filipino business executives
Filipino men's basketball coaches
Provincial board members in the Philippines
Nacionalista Party politicians
Ilocano people
Marcos family
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Asian Institute of Management alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Claremont McKenna College alumni
Romualdez family