Matthew Joseph Manotoc (born December 9, 1988) is a Filipino politician and athlete from

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City, located in the northwest corner ...

, Philippines. He currently serves as the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Ilocos Norte and was a senior provincial board member from the second legislative district of Ilocos Norte from 2016 to 2019.

Early life and education

Manotoc was born on December 9, 1988 in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, the youngest son of

Imee Romualdez Marcos Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipina politician and former actress serving as a Senator since 2019. She is the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos and the ...

and Tommy La'O Manotoc. He is a member of the

Marcos family The Marcos family ( , , ) is a political family in the Philippines. They have established themselves in the country's politics, having established a political dynasty that traces its beginnings to the 1925 election of Mariano Marcos to the Phi ...

. At the time of his birth, his parents were in exile in Morocco reportedly living under false passports. In 2006, he went to the United States to study

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

at Claremont McKenna College.

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 ...

, and won. He was also declared as the Senior Provincial Board Member of Ilocos Norte, which made him the third highest-ranking official of the province. From 2016 to 2019, he was also chairman of the

National Movement of Young Legislators The National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL), is a group of elected local lawmakers in the Philippines who are aged 40 years or younger. The local lawmakers are elected officials who hold positions such as municipal/city councilor, municipal/c ...

– 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 Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...

. However, Marcos, having been convicted of graft, withdrew from the race in November 2018 and was substituted by Manotoc. He then went on to win the race, unopposed after

Rodolfo Fariñas Rodolfo "Rudy" Castro Fariñas, Sr. (born September 5, 1951) is a Filipino politician and the former Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines and represents the 1st District of Ilocos Norte, the Philippines. Fa ...

withdrew days before the election, succeeding his mother who ran for senator. Upon taking office, one of his objectives was to make health services more accessible and more inclusive by funding and upgrading medical facilities and public health programs. In October 2019, he launched his flagship program, “NariMAT nga Aglawlaw,” which aimed to strengthen Ilocos Norte's bid for cleaner, greener, and healthier environment. He was reelected in 2022, this time defeating Fariñas.

Personal life

He is the grandson of the late

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former First Lady

. Manotoc is an avid golfer and basketball player. He was a basketball coach at the International School Manila and a co-founder of Espiritu Manotoc Basketball Management. In 2019, it was reported that he was dating

Miss Earth 2014 Miss Earth 2014, the 14th edition of the Miss Earth pageant, was held on November 29, 2014 at the University of the Philippines Theater, inside the campus of the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, Philippines. Alyz Henrich of ...

Jamie Herrell Jamie Herrell (born July 12, 1994) is an American-born actress and beauty queen. She won Miss Philippines Earth 2014 and Miss Earth 2014 titles. Herrell was a recipient of the Outstanding Individual Award during the 80th Cebu City Charter Day ...

Notes

References

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 {{Philippines-politician-stub