The images of a besuited Ferdinand Marcos Jr, clad in a top hat and leaning nonchalantly on a Rolls-Royce, dating from his time in Britain in the 1970s, are as you might expect from the playboy scion of a kleptocratic dictator.
Yet as the Marcos family returns to power in the Philippines after a landslide presidential victory by Marcos Jr, he is facing calls to stop misrepresenting the circumstances of his studies at the University of Oxford.
The university has confirmed that he did not complete his degree in philosophy, politics and economics after enrolling in 1975.
Photo: Reuters
“According to our records, he did not complete his degree, but was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978,” the University of Oxford said in a response to a freedom of information request lodged by a UK-based Philippine supporter of Marcos Jr’s nearest rival in last week’s election.
Marcos Jr, nicknamed “Bongbong,” has claimed in interviews that Oxford issued him with a bachelor’s degree, while his official spokesperson has said that the politician and his team “stand by the degree confirmation which was issued by the University of Oxford.”
His Web site states: “He completed his undergraduate studies at Oxford University and graduated with a special diploma in social studies.”
However, the UK-based supporter of Marcos Jr’s rival Leni Robredo, who lodged the freedom of information request, said of Marcos Jr: “He should stop misrepresenting his special diploma, which is clearly not a degree. It’s clear he did not complete undergraduate studies.”
The issue of Marcos Jr’s Oxford degree first emerged seven years ago when his profile on the Web site for the Philippines Senate stated that he had obtained an Oxford degree in philosophy, politics and economics.
Newly published letters last year revealed that the envoys for his father had lobbied senior figures at the university’s St Edmund Hall to preserve the son’s academic career after he failed examinations on a number of occasions.
Previously published documents revealed that Marcos Jr failed two of his three preliminary exams at Oxford in the summer of 1976, later doing only enough to pass one of two resits — failing politics for a second time.
Discussions followed between emissaries of Ferdinand Marcos Sr and John Kelly, the principal of St Edmund Hall, who was asked if they could “think of any special circumstances which would warrant the college departing from its normal rule.”
A deal was eventually hammered out in which Marcos Jr was allowed to continue his studies, but was transferred to a special diploma in social sciences, a program that has since been discontinued.
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
POST-UPRISING: Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers were yesterday expected to formally elect Tarique Rahman as their leader and new head of government Bangladesh’s prime minister-to-be Tarique Rahman and lawmakers were yesterday sworn into parliament, becoming the first elected representatives since a deadly 2024 uprising. Rahman is set to take over from an interim government that has steered the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. The lawmakers, who promised loyalty to Bangladesh, were sworn in by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers are expected to formally elect Rahman as their leader, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin then to administer the oath of office to the prime minister and his ministers
FRAYED: Strains between the US-European ties have ruptured allies’ trust in Washington, but with time, that could be rebuilt, the Michigan governor said China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said. “China could call [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Whitaker said during a Friday panel at the Munich Security Conference. “China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.” “You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added. Beijing and Moscow have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts
In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretched out both wrists to have her pulse taken — the first step to ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomizing what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness,” or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself.” At Shanghai’s Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
RSS