Ace Balangitan


Ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is still alive, Bagong Bansang Maharlika International, Inc. (BBMII) National Director Jovelyn Tibuasan claimed in a radio interview on July 19. 



CLAIM: A BBMII official claimed that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is alive and is a signatory to their organization’s source of funds.


RATING: FALSE


CONCLUSION: It is impossible for Marcos Sr. to sign the document presented by the official because he died of cardiac arrest while in exile in Hawaii 33 years ago, on September 28, 1989. If Marcos Sr. was alive, he would be 105 years old by now.


BBMII is an SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered non-profit organization that aims to uplift the living of its members through social welfare programs.


When Brigada News FM Palawan host Jumong Ustares asked where the non-profit organization will source its funds, Tibuasan disclosed a “confidential” document containing the BBMII’s signatories, which allegedly includes former president Marcos Sr.

When Ustares clarified whether the “Ferdinand Edralin Marcos” in the document refers to the deceased president, Tibuasan advised not to judge the organization because there will be more information to learn.


Tibuasan later addressed the concern about the late dictator being gone, saying, “Hindi naman po pwedeng ang patay, makapirma—malamang buhay po siya.” When asked again, BBMII’s national director insisted that the late Marcos Sr. is alive.


The radio host immediately expressed his skepticism, but the BBMII official pleaded to “respect” the decision of the organization.


“Sino pala iyong inilibing?” host Ustares dubiously asked. 


“Sir, ‘wag naman po nating pangunahan,” Tibuasan replied. “Kahit iparating n’yo po ‘yan sa Malacañang, marami pong mabubulgar dito pero respeto naman po pagdating sa desisyon ng bawat koponan.” 


“Buhay pa pala ang ating dating pangulo. So, ang ibig sabihin ang inilibing doon sa Libingan ng mga Bayani ay plastic lang,” the host remarked.


Citing the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses, Ustares raised, “Ibig sabihin maraming kayamanan ito si Dating Pangulong Marcos na ibibigay sa ating mga mamamayan ngayon?”


“Malamang,” the BBMII’s official replied. “That’s a [sic] common sense.”


The claims made by the BBMII’s national director are FALSE. The late dictator and namesake of incumbent President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. died 33 years ago.


Marcos Sr. died at age 72 on September 28, 1989, three years after his exile to Hawaii, due to kidney, lung, and heart ailments. Eugene Tiwanak, then spokesperson of St. Francis Medical Center to which Marcos Sr. was confined, confirmed that the former president died of cardiac arrest.


In fact, when former President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016, he ordered that Marcos Sr. be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, claiming that since the late dictator was a soldier and a president, he is only enforcing the law.


Shortly after the order, many petitioned the decision of Duterte before the Supreme Court, seeking to stop the burial. By a vote of 9-5, the high court rejected the petitions and green-lighted the burial. 


The dissenting justices cited the numerous human rights violations during the bloody Martial Law regime and the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth. 


Marcos Sr. who ruled the Philippines for 20 years was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on November 18, 2016, leaving a legacy of human rights abuses and plunder.



Edited by Christine Gaile Dimatatac


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