Marcos gets honorary degree from PLM
President Marcos has received his first-ever higher education degree, an honorary award from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).
Mr. Marcos was conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa (Latin for “for the sake of honor”) during the graduation rites of the city government-run university on Tuesday.
But for critics, including a lawmaker, he was not qualified to receive it under the rules of the Legal Education Board (LEB) due to questions over his academic credentials.
According to the LEB, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree is “an extraordinary academic degree awarded by a legal education institution to eminent individuals of integrity who have distinguished themselves in the field of law, justice, legal academe, legal research, public governance, leadership, or public service in the areas of statesmanship, administration, legislative activity, judicial service, or through outstanding and impactful work and/or exemplary service to society.”
The six members of the LEB en banc unanimously approved and adopted Resolution No. 286-01 giving the PLM authority to grant the degree to the 68-year-old President.
It took 12 days for the LEB to approve the application, which the PLM submitted on Aug. 13.
The resolution was signed by LEB chair Jason Barlis; and regular members, LEB commissioners Lorenzo Reyes, Voltaire San Pedro, retired Justice Manuel Barrios,
Salex Alibogha and Justine Kyle Mapalo; and ex officio member Shirley Agrupis, chair of the Commission on Higher Education.
According to Alibogha, the PLM “sufficiently satisfies” the specific requirements prescribed under LEB Memorandum Order (MO) No. 033, series of 2025, to confer the degree on Mr. Marcos.
Under Section 4(d) of the memo, a prospective honoree “must have at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a reputable institution.”
“It is not necessary for the honoree to be a lawyer or a law graduate,” it stated.
Mr. Marcos has maintained that he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
But the university stated that, based on its records, he did not complete his course but was awarded a Special Diploma in Social Studies in 1978.
Mr. Marcos admitted that he did not complete his Master of Business Administration course at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States after enrolling in 1979 because he was elected vice governor of Ilocos Norte in 1980.
Under the MO, the LEB shall have the prerogative to deny, withdraw, withhold, or declare null and void the conferment of the degree based on several grounds, including “fabrication/misrepresentation of any document in support of the application.”
The LEB shall also take into consideration the prospective honorees’ conduct on issues of relevance which is inconsistent with or in contravention of the rule of law, ethics, public policy, and/or public morals, in denying, withdrawing, or declaring null and void the conferment of the degree.
‘Insult’ to lawyers
Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, a lawyer, said conferring the honorary degree on Mr. Marcos was not a “good example for our examinees rigorously studying law just days before the 2027 Bar examinations.”
“This is an insult to the hundreds of lawyers […] who studied day-in and day-out to refine their knowledge of the law and ensure that said knowledge serves the most vulnerable—the complete opposite of Marcos Jr.,” Co was quoted as saying by the Kabataan partylist page on Facebook.
Lawyer Frederick Mikhail “Spocky” Farolan, former presidential appointee to the University of the Philippines Board of Regents, cited the LEB memorandum, noting that a bachelor’s degree was “a requirement before someone can be a recipient of an honorary PhD or honorary Doctor of Laws.”
“Does [Bongbong] Marcos have a bachelor’s degree? Is this ‘bend the law’ or ‘bend the rules?” he said also in a Facebook post.
First lady ties
PLM president Domingo Reyes Jr. made the recommendation to confer the degree on Mr. Marcos. It was later approved by the board of regents chaired by Edward Serapio.
Serapio is among the founding partners of MOST Law Office along with Araneta-Marcos, who worked there from 2006 until 2019. She later set up the M & Associates law firm, which she dissolved in June 2022 before Mr. Marcos’ oath-taking as newly elected President.
The first lady also taught at the PLM College of Law from 2010 to 2014.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Reyes bestowed the PLM doctoral regalia—the robe, hood, beret, and medallion—on Mr. Marcos.
“I receive this honor with gratitude, mindful of the responsibility that comes with it,” the President said.
