FACT CHECK | Claim that Imee graduated cum laude from UP College of Law is false

July 26, 2022 , 03:37 PM

(July 26, 2022) – Social media users who are loyal to the family of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. are reviving the claim that her elder sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law.

This claim is false.

CLAIM:

In a recent post, Facebook page “Live Awake” claimed that the elder Marcos graduated with a law degree from the premier state university as part of Batch 1983. It added that she was a cum laude.

It included old photos from her supposed graduation ceremony along with screenshots of several comments affirming that she was indeed a cum laude graduate from the UP College of Law.

“Here are some photos from her classmate and seatmate, Lety Ala. I also included random comments from those who can attest Imee graduated cum laude from UP Law,” read the post.

RATING: False

FACTS:

This is not the first time that the false claim made rounds on social media. During the 2019 senatorial elections, Marcos’ academic background was put under scrutiny.

In February 2019, she posted photos of her supposed graduation from the UP College of Law in 1983. Her post stated that the ceremony, which was also attended by her parents, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former first lady Imelda Marcos, was held at the Meralco Theater in Pasig. Her post can still be accessed as of this writing.

But Dr. Ted Herbosa, the former executive vice president of UP, said Marcos did not finish a degree from the university. What he confirmed was that Marcos took non-degree courses from the UP College of Arts and Sciences from 1976 to 1977. She subsequently “took courses under the Bachelor of Laws program at the UP College of Law” from 1979 to 1983.

“There is no record of her graduation from UPD (UP Diliman) nor any honors or academic distinction received with the university registrar’s office,” said Herbosa in his e-mailed response to ABS-CBN News and Rappler.

The photos showing Marcos allegedly graduating were from a staged ceremony pushed by her parents. It was even televised.

In an opinion piece in Cebu Daily News in 2017, Madrileña de la Cerna, who finished her master’s degree in Asian Studies in 1983, recalled how the students and graduates planned to mount a protest should Marcos be included in the official list of graduates during their ceremony.

“It was public knowledge during my stay in the campus that Imee could not graduate because she lacked 35 units. Many of her batchmates were my dormmates in the campus,” said de la Cerna. “However, a few days later, I was shocked to watch on TV the ‘graduation’ of Imee Marcos as magna cum laude at the Meralco Theater with Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos putting on the hood and cap on Imee.”

Writer and scholar Ricardo Manapat also mentioned the same controversy in his book titled Some Are Smarter Than Others in 1991.

“It appeared that Imee never had the proper qualification to enter the school and that her name never appeared in the list of approved graduates nor among the candidates endorsed for graduation by a committee,” wrote Manapat.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Marcos also faced controversy when she claimed that she finished her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. She also boasted that she graduated with honors and was “one of the first female graduates from an Ivy League school.” She claimed her degree was “religion and politics.”

But Princeton University deputy spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss disputed the claims in his reply to Rappler in 2019.

Even her brother, the country’s current president, also faced questions about his academic background. During the campaign, he claimed anew that he graduated from Oxford University even if the university itself already clarified that he was merely awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978.

Journalists have fact-checked these false claims on the educational background of the Marcoses in the past. Still, posts touting their alleged educational accomplishments have continued to gain traction on social media. Some netizens even falsely believe that the UP College of Law simply burned the school records of the senator.

The false post has so far garnered more than 4,900 reactions, 767 comments, and 2,700 shares.

News5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked. Read our fact-checking policy here.

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