OTHER than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s and his super-elite friends’ cocaine-snorting sessions at least 10 or so years ago and that she was offered the drug by the first lady herself, whistleblower Cathy Binag’s exposé has led to the revelation of an appalling development that threatens our democracy.

It is this: A president, Marcos Jr., almost completely controls the press — by which I mean the print as well as broadcast media — after his dictator father, the second time this has happened in our postwar history.

My easy-to-see proof? After Binag’s allegations made in the “Boldyak” YouTube channel of vlogger Maharlika (given name: Claire Contreras), not a single article or opinion column (except by me) has been published in any newspaper or major TV broadcast network. Not even the Daily Tribune, set up by former president Duterte’s financiers and media handler, reported or had an opinion on Binag’s accusations. Indeed, perhaps in observation of itself and the rest of media, the Philippine Daily Inquirer dropped in 2016 the famous “Without fear or favor” slogan it had on its front page for 31 years. More and more, it seems to be fear, favor and even “funds” in envelopes that determine the coverage of mainstream media.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was a regular cocaine user, with his wife Liza most probably so, former socialite Cathy Binag claimed in an interview at popular vlogger Maharlika’s “Boldyak” the other day. The interview became viral, with 350,000 viewers at 2 p.m. of August 4.

Binag was for 10 years the partner of Davao banana magnate Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr., one of Marcos Jr.’s closest friends.

Cathy’s claim actually had been circulating for more than a decade, with then-president Rodrigo Duterte — a Davaoeño like Floirendo — disclosing before the 2022 elections that one candidate was a cocaine addict who even takes the drug in an airplane. I myself had heard about it long ago as I had two Ateneo High School friends who were with Marcos’ circle, with one having worsened his addiction, running his businesses to the ground, leading to his early death.