CLAIM: Former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. led a guerilla unit against Japanese soldiers
RATING: FALSE
A YouTube video uploaded by Kapatid Avinidz falsely claimed that Marcos Sr. led a guerilla unit called “Ang mga Maharlika” against Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Multiple fact-checking news sites have previously debunked the claim. Yet, the uploader continued to press on the false claim, attributing the apparent lack of acknowledgment by “mainstream media” as an intentional effort to discredit him. Various archival documents provide evidence to the contrary.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the US Army, and several archived papers have refuted the assertions about Marcos’ guerilla unit. According to these documents, his guerilla unit “ang mga Maharlika” was never officially recognized, nor was his leadership.
In a 1945 memorandum, Maj. R.G. Langham wrote that the unit was not recommended for recognition because of the “limited military value of their duties.”
According to the New York Times report, various Army officers called the requests for Marcos’ official recognition of the unit “fraudulent” and “absurd.” Army investigators also concluded that no unit such as “Maharlika” ever existed.
This claim has been frequently used to justify the burial of the former dictator at the “Libingan ng mga Bayani” meant explicitly for heroes.
The video has garnered 5k views and 38 comments as of the writing. Angeline Narnola
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Angeline Narnola is a Journalism student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and an intern for PressOnePH. This piece was created under the supervision of PressOnePH’s editors.
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