Lawyer Victor Rodriguez, chief of staff of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., claimed in a statement that the presidential aspirant has always been honest with his educational attainment from the University of Oxford in England.
This is false. In at least three instances, Marcos Jr. made inaccurate assertions on his credentials.
STATEMENT
In a statement released to reporters on Oct. 23, Rodriguez said:
“We stand by the Degree confirmation which was issued by the University of Oxford. It is up to anyone to question or challenge this with the said university if they so please.”
Source: ABS-CBN News, Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos’ camp…, Oct. 23, 2021; Inquirer.net official Twitter account, JUST IN: Bongbong Marcos’ camp responds to the statement of Oxford Philippines Society…, Oct. 23, 2021; Rappler, Oxford: Bongbong Marcos’ special diploma ‘not a full graduate diploma’, Oct. 27, 2021
He then went on to say:
“Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos has always been forthright on his conferment of a special diploma in social studies by the distinguish (sic) university and has never misrepresented his Oxford education.”
Source: Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN reporter official Twitter account, Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos’ camp… , Oct. 23, 2021; Inquirer.net official Twitter account, JUST IN: Bongbong Marcos’ camp responds to the statement of Oxford Philippines Society…, Oct. 23, 2021; Rappler, Oxford: Bongbong Marcos’ special diploma ‘not a full graduate diploma’, Oct. 27, 2021
Rodriguez’s claim came after Oxford Philippines Society, an organization of some 200 Filipino students and alumni of the prestigious university, published a statement on Oct. 22 addressing “wrong information” about Marcos Jr.’s educational qualifications that have been circulating online.
FACT
An archived copy of Marcos Jr.’s biography and resumé on the Senate website when he was a lawmaker from 2010 to 2015 showed that he “earned” a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford in 1978.
Oxford confirmed to VERA Files Fact Check in an Oct. 27 email that Marcos Jr. “matriculated at the University of Oxford in 1975 to read for a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).”
According to university records, the former senator “did not complete his degree,” but was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978.
In at least two media interviews, Marcos Jr. wrongly equated his special diploma to a bachelor’s degree.
The former senator did this in a chance interview with Rappler in 2015 which went this way:
“Q: So you said you got a diploma?
Marcos Jr.: Mhmm. Yeah, I got a diploma. What do you get when you graduate? You get a diploma.
Q: But you also have a degree?
Marcos Jr.: I suppose — I got my diploma eh.”
Source: Rappler Official Youtube Channel, Bongbong Marcos on whether he has Oxford degree: I suppose, March 2, 2015, watch from 1:33 to 1:44
Meanwhile, in an interview on DZMM radio in January 2016, Marcos Jr., who was running for vice president that year, was asked if a special diploma was the same as a degree in Oxford.
He answered, “I suppose there are differences but ang ending no’n (the end of it) is that it’s a bachelor’s degree.”
In the Oct. 27 email, Oxford further clarified to VERA Files Fact Check that the special diploma awarded to Marcos Jr. was “not a full graduate diploma.” It said:
“The Special Diploma, which the University no longer offers, was open to both undergraduates and graduates. Non-University members could also read for it under certain circumstances. There is no recorded link between the BA (in Philosophy, Politics and Economics) and the Special Diploma, and the Special Diploma was not a full graduate Diploma.”
Source: Personal Communication (Email), Oxford Head of University Communications, Oct. 27, 2021
Reports show that the university has been debunking claims on Marcos Jr.’s bachelor’s degree since 1983.
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(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)