The first family of the Philippines is the family of the president of the Philippines, who is both head of state and head of government of the Philippines. Members of the first family consist of the president, the spouse (often but not always also the first lady or first gentleman), and any of their children. Generally, other close relatives of the president and first spouse, such as parents, siblings, stepchildren, and grandchildren, are considered as extended members of the first family.

The current first family is the family of the 17th president of the Philippines, Bongbong Marcos, since 2022.

Members Contemporary sources primarily include the President, the First Lady, and any of their children as members of the first family. Upon the election of Bongbong Marcos as president in 2022, members of the first family currently include his wife, Liza Araneta Marcos, and their three children: Sandro, Joseph Simon, and William Vincent.

History It is unclear when the term "first family" was first used to refer to the family of the Philippine president, but it has been retroactively used by the media to pertain to the spouse of the president during their tenure and their children for all presidents since Emilio Aguinaldo. The earliest available sources using the term date back to the late 1980s, referring to the family of President Ferdinand Marcos.

In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte criticized the term, saying that it was outdated and should not be used to refer to his immediate family, as he considers all Filipinos to be the "first family." As of 2022, usage of the term resurged following the election of Bongbong Marcos. It has since been extended by various media outlets to include President Marcos’s sisters, Imee, Irene, and Aimee, and his mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

List No. Portrait First family YearsPresident and spouseNotes 1 January 23, 1899—April 19, 1901 Emilio and Hilaria Aguinaldo The President's eldest daughter, Flora Victoria, died during infancy in 1899. He had three more children with Hilaria after his tenure: Emilio Jr., Maria, and Cristina. The First Lady later died from pulmonary tuberculosis in 1921. In 1930, Emilio married María Agoncillo. 2 November 15, 1935—August 1, 1944 Manuel and Aurora Quezon The President's third daughter, Luisa Corazón Paz, died during infancy in 1924. The First Family during his administration was the first to reside in the Malacañang Palace. 3 October 14, 1943—August 17, 1945 Jose and Pacencia Laurel 4 August 1, 1944—May 28, 1946 Sergio and Esperanza Osmeña Nicasio, Vicenta, Edilberto, Milagros, Maria Paloma, Teodoro, José, and Sergio Jr. were the President's children from his first marriage to Estefania Veloso. Two of his children with Veloso died before he succeeded to the presidency: Jesus in 1931 and Emilio in 1942. Ramón, Rosalina and Victor were his children from his second marriage to Esperanza Limjap. 5 May 28, 1946—April 15, 1948 Manuel and Trinidad Roxas 6 April 17, 1948—December 30, 1953 Elpidio Quirino The President's wife, Alicia Syquia, along with three of their children, Armando, Norma, and Fe Angela, were killed by Japanese troops during the Battle of Manila in 1945. His second daughter, Victoria, assumed the role of First Lady during her father's presidency. 7 December 30, 1953—March 17, 1957 Ramon and Luz Magsaysay 8 March 18, 1857—December 30, 1961 Carlos and Leonila Garcia 9 December 30, 1961—December 30, 1965 Diosdado and Eva Macapagal Cielo and Arturo were the President's children from his first marriage to Purita de la Rosa, who had died earlier in 1943. The President married his second wife, Evangelina, in 1946 and had two children: Gloria (who would eventually be succeed to the presidency in 2001 and elected in her own right in 2004) and Diosdado Jr. 10 December 30, 1965—February 25, 1986 Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos Imee, Bongbong (who would eventually be elected to the presidency in 2022), and Irene were the President's children from his marriage to Imelda Romualdez. The couple later adopted a daughter, Aimee. The President lived with a common-law wife, Carmen Ortega, before 1954, with whom he had four children. Around 1970, he had an affair with former model Evelin Hegyesi and had a daughter, Analisa Josefa. 11 February 25, 1986—June 30, 1992 Corazon Aquino There was no First Gentleman during Corazon Aquino's presidency, as her husband, Ninoy Aquino, was assassinated in 1983. 12 June 30, 1992—June 30, 1998 Fidel and Amelita Ramos 13 June 30, 1998—January 20, 2001 Joseph Estrada and Loi Ejercito Jinggoy, Jackie, and Jude were the President's children from his marriage to Loi Ejercito. He has eight children from several extramarital relationships: With former actress Guia Gomez: Joseph Victor With former actress Peachy Osorio: Joel and Ma. Theresa With former air hostess known only as 'Larena': Jason With former actress Laarni Enriquez: Jerika, Jacob, and Jake With former flight attendant Joy Melendrez: Jose Mari 14 January 20, 2001—June 30, 2010 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Jose Miguel Arroyo The succession to the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001 marked the second time that she will officially reside in Malacañang Palace; the first was from 1961 to 1965 as a daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal. Her husband, Jose Miguel, is the first and, to date, the only First Gentleman of the Philippines. 15 June 30, 2010—June 30, 2016 Benigno Aquino III The President never married or had children. His four sisters have, in several occasions, served as unofficial first ladies. 16 June 30, 2016—June 30, 2022 Rodrigo Duterte Paolo, Sara, and Sebastian are the President's children from his marriage to Elizabeth Zimmerman (annulled in 2000), while Veronica is his daughter with common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña. Avanceña was not officially designated as the First Lady during Duterte's presidency. 17 June 30, 2022—present Bongbong and Liza Araneta Marcos The election of Bongbong Marcos in 2022 marked the second time that he will officially reside in Malacañang Palace; the first was from 1965 to 1986 as the son of former president Ferdinand Marcos.

See also

Aquino family Duterte family Marcos family

References