Draft:Francis Leo Antonio Marcos

File:Francisleo Antonio Marcos.jpg

Francis Leo Antonio Marcos PhD was born on September 29, 1979 in the Philippines. He is the founder of Mayaman Challenge during 2020 Worldwide Pandemic. He is considered as Pandemic Hero in the Philippines. A Philanthropist businessman whose net worth is 25 to 30 million US Dollars. He started his Philanthropic mission in 2007 where he gave Millions of eyeglasses to visually impaired Filipinos, Hundreds of Thousands of Wheelchair to disabled and crippled Filipinos and Millions of Tons of Rice during the heights of COVID 19 Pandemic around the Philippines.

Background

According to his own account, Marcos started his philanthropy in 2007 and for a long time did not benefit from social media publicity. He runs the Optimum Eye Care Program, which aims to provide eyeglasses to people unable to afford them.

Marcos came to wider public attention when he started a trend on Facebook called the "Mayaman Challenge" urging the rich to make a donation to people affected by the enhanced community quarantine imposed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Marcos posted a video about the challenge on Facebook which garnered 9 million views before it was taken down. He then created his own YouTube channel for the challenge.

Legal issues

Marcos is facing multiple charges against him. He has maintained that he is innocent and the charges against him are motivated by people who took offense to his Mayaman Challenge.

In 2020, Marcos was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). for violating Revised Optometry Law of 1995 by distributing eyeglasses for his eyecare program allegedly without the sanction of the Philippine Association of Optometry. Marcos believes that the action made against him constitutes persecution, he also denied the child trafficking charges filed against him by the NBI in 2006 for recruiting children. All charges against him were dismissed.

Political career

Marcos attempted to run for Senator in the 2013 elections but his candidacy was rejected since he was two years short of fulfilling the 35 years of age requirement to run for the position.

He ran again in the 2022 elections. This is despite a petition to declare him as a nuisance candidate. The Commission on Elections ruled that his candidacy is valid due and that he is capable of launching a campaign given the size of social media following he has already garnered at the time. However, he lost with only over 4.5 million votes, placing 27th and short of the 12 seats up for election.

Personal life

Marcos was born on September 29, 1979. He is reportedly born in Baguio or in Bulakan, Bulacan. He goes by the full name of Francis Leo Antonio Marcos. He claims to be associated with the Marcos political family which had President Ferdinand Marcos as its member.

He is the son of the late Dr. Pacifico Edralin Marcos, the younger brother of the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.

He is married to Mayu Murakami.