4 hours ago
3
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Mainstream media reported on Tantoco’s death last March, and also recently reported findings from the LA medical examiner released this July
Claim: Mainstream media has only recently reported on the death of Rustan Commercial Corporation executive Paolo Tantoco — four months after his passing — following the release of the Los Angeles (LA) County Medical Examiner’s report showing the cause of death as “cocaine effects.”
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in a July 13 post on the Facebook account “Lorraine Baddie” of former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict official Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, who was also former Presidential Communications Operations Office undersecretary under the Rodrigo Duterte administration.
The post states: “Hina ng MSM [mainstream media]. Ngayon lang magre report about the Tantoco death — bitin pa. Walang mention ni Liza Marcos. Samantalang ang bloggers March pa lang complete report na.”
(Mainstream media is weak. They have only just now reported about the Tantoco death — and the reports are incomplete. No mention of [First Lady] Liza Marcos. Meanwhile, the bloggers already have a complete report as early as March.)
As of writing, the post already has around 2,600 reactions, 130 comments, and 111 shares.
The facts: Contrary to Badoy-Partosa’s claim, mainstream media outlets have reported earlier on the death of the Rustan executive, who died on March 9 at the age of 44.
Examples of these news items include a March 9 Manila Bulletin article, a March 10 Philstar.com article, a March 10 GMA News Online article, a March 10 Manila Times article, a March 11 Rappler article, a March 11 ABS-CBN News article, and a March 12 Daily Tribune article.
No cause of death was mentioned in those earlier reports.
Cause of death: In July, four months after Tantoco’s death, the LA County Medical Examiner confirmed that Tantoco died from cocaine use.
The case detail page noted that Tantoco’s death was accidental, with the primary cause being “cocaine effects.”
The LA medical examiner also noted “probable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” or plaque buildup in the arteries, as a significant condition.
In the news reports citing the LA medical examiner’s report published this July, several mentioned Tantoco as part of an entourage led by Liza Araneta-Marcos. The Rappler article published on July 13 at 10:51 AM (after Badoy-Partosa’s post came out), for instance, said: “According to Hollywood LA News, Tantoco was in the US as part of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ entourage at the Manila International Film Festival, which was held from March 4 to 7.”
Another one that did likewise is a July 13 Manila Standard article which came out at 8:56 PM.
Previous related fact-checks: Rappler has published fact-checks of claims pertaining to Tantoco’s death:
- FACT CHECK: Duterte arrest not a cover-up for Tantoco’s death (March 18, 2025)
- FACT CHECK: Liza Marcos not detained in US, no exchange deal for Duterte release (March 14, 2025)
Malacañang has previously denied claims of the First Lady’s alleged connection with Tantoco’s death, which surfaced online following former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest over a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. – Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com
Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
