Born November 25, 1995, Joseph Simon Araneta Marcos is the middle son – between Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Araneta Marcos and William Vincent “Vinny” Araneta Marcos – to President-elect Bongbong Marcos and lawyer Liza Araneta.

Having spent his early childhood in Ilocos Norte, Simon recounted his time spent by the beach with his brothers and helping “local fishermen who used to live in the barangay next to us” catch fish alongside his brothers.

As a Father’s Day surprise, Simon recounted a lesson his father taught him and his brothers while living by the beach in Ilocos Norte. Filmed beside the beach in Ilocos Norte, Simon said: “Hey Pops. Remember living here and me, San, and Vinny were around about 5 years old. You sat us down and showed us how blessed we were. And taught us that the fact that we were blessed wasn’t important enough but the fact is we had to share our blessings with everyone else who’s less fortunate.”

Following his childhood in Ilocos Norte, Simon followed his older brother Sandro by studying at British boarding school Worth School. He then graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Business Administration and Management and currently describes his occupation as an analyst.

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He has appeared in several vlogs on his father’s YouTube channel. Appearing in a 2018 interview alongside his father with Net 25, he said he created nicknames for members of the entire family, calling his father “Paps,” his younger brother Vinny “Vince,” and his older brother Sandro “Sands”.

In a 2022 interview with Boy Abunda, younger brother Vinny likened Simon to his father due to their quiet nature, describing him as “a little more reserved, a little more thoughtful.”

While he chooses to stay away from the public spotlight, he was particularly active during the presidential election season, traveling to Cagayan de Oro to campaign for his father as part of the BBM Youth Movement.

Editor's note: AMELIE ORTIZ DE LEON is an intern at news.abs-cbn.com. She is an incoming sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia, intending to double-major in political science and film studies.

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