Supporters of senatorial aspirant Imee Marcos were posting snapshots of her supposed grades and testimonies of her schoolmates as proof of her University of the Philippines records despite strong evidence disproving them.
Facebook page Kabataang Barangay Worldwide, the namesake of the student council she led during the Martial Law era, posted snapshots on March 3 of a colored yearbook showing Marcos’ profile, her grades and comments from people that claim they were either classmates or schoolmates of the presidential daughter that time.
Mga KBgans ! wag natin Hayaan na manaig ang kasinungalingan. Heto ang records na nahanap namin kasama ang graduation…
Posted by Kabataang Barangay Worldwide on Saturday, March 2, 2019
Imee Marcos UP Law Class of 1983!
Posted by Kabataang Barangay Worldwide on Sunday, March 3, 2019
The photo of her supposed credentials showed a stellar general weighted average grade of 1.41 for the UP College of Law during the first semester from 1980 to 1981.
The group did not specify the sources for the records. The yearbook shown is also sketchy because its features appeared to have been recently produced.
Furthermore, the photos of comments asserting they were present at the time of her graduation could not be verified.
“Wag natin Hayaan na manaig ang kasinungalingan. Heto ang records na nahanap namin kasama ang graduation photos ni Imee. Konti na lang yan kasi halos lahat naransack na after EDSA 1. Nandiyan din ang testimonies ng mga alumni ng UP na nakita siyang nagraduate,” their caption said.
On the same day, Facebook page Millennials for Imee Marcos posted a lengthy rant accusing the reports that questioned Marcos’ educational background at UP College of Law and Princeton University as forms of cyber bullying.
WHY I DON'T BELIEVE THE DAILY PRINCETON ARTICLE AND THE UP LAW DEAN: #NOTOCYBERBULLYING #DEFENDIMEEMARCOS #THETRUTH1….
Posted by Millennials for Imee Marcos on Saturday, March 2, 2019
“I believe that Imee Marcos is not lying when she shared a copy of her Princeton alumni invite and also her UP law graduation photos. She is running for senate and I believe she is intelligent enough to know that credibility and integrity are important factors that people look at when they’re voting for a public servant,” part of the post read.
The author of the post later added that Marcos’ critics are “judgmental” and “close-minded.”
“Judgemental, closed minded at puno ng hatred sila basta marinig ang apeldyidong Marcos. Sana mas kilalanin ka nila labas ng apelyido mo,” the post ended.
Proof
Marcos did study in UP, according to Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, however, she only took non-degree courses from 1976 to 1977 at the College of Arts and Sciences.
She then took courses at the UP College of Law, but there were no records that she graduated.
This was further confirmed by antique shop owner Angelo Bernardo Jr. who posted photos of the 1983 The Philippinensian, UP’s official yearbook, on Facebook.
He showed that Marcos was not among the graduates with last names starting with “M.”
Another testimony was provided by someone who did graduate in UP on June 18, 1983 through an opinion piece at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“It was a public knowledge during my stay in the campus that Imee could not graduate because she lacked 35 units,” said Madrileña de la Cerna.
Similarly, the college newspaper of Princeton University also reported that the late dictator’s daughter did enroll there in 1973 but did not earn a degree thus disproving her claims on her official Facebook page.
No college degree needed?
Sara Duterte-Carpio, leader of Hugpong ng Pagbabago, tried to assure the Ilocos Norte governor that she does not need a college degree to be a senator.
“Sinabi ko naman sa kanya in any event whatever it is, the law, our Constitution only requires for the President, the Vice President and the Senators to be able to read and write and she can very well do that given her track record as governor,” the presidential daughter said.
Duterte-Carpio then said to the public that Marcos will soon make an official statement to address the allegations.
“Sabi niya maglalabas daw siya ng written official statement about the question on her educational background,” she said.
