MANILA, Philippines — A group of Filipino students and alumni of Oxford University issued a statement Friday emphasizing that Bongbong Marcos, scion and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, did not get a degree from the university.
The Oxford Philippines Society said they are “concerned” with the ongoing misinformation surrounding Marcos Jr.’s educational attainment, underscoring that what the 2022 presidential aspirant actually had was a Special Diploma, which, the group added, “is not a degree.”
“We, students with Filipino roots and members of the Oxford Philippines Society, are concerned with the continuing misinformation relating to the academic qualifications of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos, Jr.,” the group said in a statement released on Facebook.
“Bongbong Marcos did not finish his Degree. This was officially confirmed by Oxford University in 2015 […] Bongbong Marcos has been awarded a Special Diploma in Social Studies in 1978. A Special Diploma is not a degree, and neither is it comparable, superior nor equivalent to one,” it added.
Marcos Jr. has maintained that he attended Oxford and got a diploma in political science, as journalists challenged his claims because his name did not appear on the university’s list of graduates.
“To set the record straight, my educational record as posted in the Senate website and in my own official website is accurate,” Marcos Jr. previously said. “I earned a diploma in political science at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University in England in 1978.”
READ: I attended Oxford, Wharton, swears Bongbong Marcos
On his website, Marcos Jr. still mentions that he attended the University of Oxford from 1975 to 1978. Digging into details, he would show the degree confirmation from Oxford itself, that he got a “Special Diploma in Social Studies.”
But the Oxford Philippines Society stressed that the Special Diploma that Marcos holds is not indicative of a higher course of education.
The group then explained that its assertion “is not a political statement” as it was aimed to just clarify matters related to the university and to set the record straight amid the pervasiveness of disinformation and fake news. It also noted the upcoming national elections in the country.
“We would like to emphasize that this statement is not a political statement. We are making this statement in aid of public discourse in a time where disinformation and fake news are prevalent,” the society said.
“Such disinformation prevents Filipinos from exercising their democratic rights in a fair and meaningful way, and we believe every Filipino should have access to correct information as we prepare to vote in May 2022,” it added.
“The Oxford Philippines Society, together with its former members, is made up of almost 200 Filipino students and alumni of Oxford University. The Oxford Philippines Society is the only Filipino society registered with, and recognized by, Oxford University,” it concluded.
Marcos Jr. is running for president next year — a move opposed by many sectors, including activist groups as well those who experienced or whose family members experienced rights abuses during his father’s martial rule. Groups even described his vying for the presidency as an affront to the victims of martial law.
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