By Charmaine Delos Santos

PHOTO: Philippine Daily Inquirer

Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., a presidential aspirant for the 2022 elections in May, said on Saturday at the GMA Network flagship AM Radio Station DZBB Presidential Interviews that he took a degree course and graduated from Oxford University.


“To set the record straight, my educational record as posted on the Senate website and my official website is accurate. I earned a diploma in Political Science at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University in England in 1978,” Marcos stated. 

“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,” said Marcos’ chief of staff, Attorney Victor Rodriguez.

However, the Oxford Philippines Society, a group of Filipino students and alumni of Oxford University, said that Marcos did not finish his degree. Rather, was only awarded a Special Diploma in Social Studies last 1978, and was confirmed by Oxford University in 2015.

“A Special Diploma is not a degree, and neither is it comparable, superior nor equivalent to one,” the Oxford PH Society explained.

“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 Facebook post. 

“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 cleared.

On the other hand, the Oxford PH Society believes that every Filipino should have access to correct information for the 2022 elections in May and that the solution for that is to exercise people’s democratic rights in a fair and meaningful way.