Matthew Manotoc

Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc (born December 9, 1988) is a Filipino politician and athlete from Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He currently serves his second year of his second term as the governor 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, the youngest son of Imee Romualdez Marcos and Tommy La'O Manotoc. He is a member of the Marcos family. 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 at Claremont McKenna College. He received a certificate in Sports Management from the University of California-Los Angeles in 2014 and a certificate in Management Development from the Asian Institute of Management in 2017. Furthermore, he also obtained a certificate in Harnessing Organizational and Individual Capacities for Excellent Services in Local Government Units from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2018. He took an executive course in Agriculture Development at the Mariano Marcos State University in the City of Batac in 2021. Lastly, he attended Stanford Graduate School of Business at the National University of Singapore in 2023.

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, 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 – Ilocos Norte Chapter.

Governor of Ilocos Norte (2019–2022, 2022–present)
Manotoc is in the first year of his second term as Governor of the Province of Ilocos Norte. Under his leadership, the Provincial Government continues to bring progress by investing in the Ilokano people and encouraging everyone to contribute to a brighter Ilocos Norte.

During his first term, the province was ravaged by a tropical storm and, not long after, was confronted by a pandemic. However, despite calamity or crisis, he was still able to carry out his vision of a "healthier" Ilocos Norte, aided by the outstanding service of frontline personnel and the cooperation of the Ilokano community.

As Governor, Manotoc has been focused on making sure that all Ilokanos are secure and able to support their families, especially in trying times. His efforts in the past years have led to a province that is safe and strong during disasters and a provincial government that is swift in addressing the needs of its people.

Even before the onset of COVID-19, Manotoc prioritized the streamlining of Ilocos Norte’s health system through the improvement of provincial health facilities by pouring Php 300 million into infrastructure alone. One of these was the timely construction of a medical oxygen refilling plant, which was essential when the pandemic hit.

Then, he coupled improved infrastructure with more equipment and supplies, amounting to over Php 430 million, and the hiring of professionals to increase the efficiency of health services and meet the increasing medical demands.

In July 2022, Ilocos Norte ranked 3rd in the country for its vaccination rate. 94% of the province's target population is now fully vaccinated.

Mental health and well-being have been at the forefront of Manotoc's response to COVID-19. He founded "Speak Up, I’m Here," a mental health center and hotline, which has become a sanctuary for locals who are enduring isolation, pressure, and other difficulties. The Center has serviced clients ranging from adolescents, frontliners, returning residents, and COVID-19 patients in isolation.

His "Search for the Best Mental Health Practices" initiative emphasizes a whole-of-community approach to promoting, protecting, and caring for mental health, in addition to art therapy sessions, mental health break camps, and psychosocial first aid and support training.

To further preventive healthcare, he urged the establishment of numerous new parks in the province, including many barangay eco-parks where the Provincial Government allotted Php 200,000.00 to each barangay to establish or improve their park with a vegetable farm.

Ilocos Norte has likewise made progress in agriculture under his leadership. The provincial government’s investments in infrastructure and equipment have bolstered the productivity and profitability of Ilokano farmers. These include farm-to-market roads; small farm reservoirs; water impounding projects; multi-purpose drying pavements; tractors; combine harvesters; tobacco curing barns; and the critical shift to high-value crops, worth billions of pesos.

The province was chosen as one of the five pilot provinces in the Philippines to lead extension services in agriculture and fisheries. The Ilocos Norte Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System, as it is known, has strengthened linkages by sharing science-based knowledge and technologies with farming and fishing communities.

Like in the COVID-19 situation, he ordered the provincial government to be on the ground immediately to contact trace and stem the infections caused by the African Swine Fever. He initiated the provision of relief packs for those who were affected, gave sprayers and disinfectants, facilitated their indemnifications or payouts, allotted budgets for those who were uninsured, and provided alternate livelihoods to secure the livestock sector.

Personal life
He is the grandson of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

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 Jamie Herrell.