Claim: Ferdinand Marcos Sr. fought against the Japanese in World War II while in a guerilla unit in Northern Luzon named “Maharlika”
Rating: FALSE
Facts: This was a tale spun by Marcos Sr. to better his reputation amongst his countrymen and make him look an even more favorable leader. However, both the National Historic Commission of the Philippines and the US Army have disproved these claims and have not acknowledged the “Maharlika” as an official unit.
Even then, Marcos then went on to twist the meaning of the word.
“Maharlika” originally a warrior class in the societal hierarchy that included sultans and rajas, Marcos instead proclaimed that “Maharlika” was a noble class and went on to live a life of royalty and luxury, using wealth he and his family had plundered during their time of power in the Philippines.
Why we fact-checked this: Rep. Sandro Marcos and his uncle House Speaker Martin Romualdez again brought out the Maharlika branding in their planned investment fund. This will mean that they want the Marcos legacy stamped on it, despite the notoriety brought by it.
Library of General Douglas MacArthur
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