Philippine election: Bongbong Marcos slams ‘nuisance candidate’ who called him an impostor

Presidential hopeful Tiburcio V Marcos wants people to believe the ‘real’ Bongbong died years ago, and that he’s also a seven-star general who’s a love child of dictator Ferdinand Marcos

The ‘impostor’ claim is one of various conspiracy theories surrounding the colourful Philippine election that are starting to grip the wilder areas of the internet

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Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos’ presidential bid has been beset by bizarre claims. File photo: EPA

Published: 10:28pm, 1 Dec 2021Updated: 11:34pm, 1 Dec 2021

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, the 64-year-old son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, faces several petitions seeking to stop him from running to become the Philippines’ next president. One says he’s a convicted tax cheat, another that he’s morally unfit. But surely the most unusual charge is that he’s dead.

That allegation was filed by a man who also has presidential aspirations. Tiburcio Villamor Marcos, who refers to himself as TVM, claims that Bongbong Marcos is an “impostor” and that the “real” Bongbong died when still a young man after being stabbed dead while studying abroad.

It’s one of various conspiracy theories surrounding the election that are starting to grip the wilder areas of the internet, but in this case, the strange accusation has been officially filed in a petition by one of Marcos’ rivals for the presidency – a colourful character also claiming the surname “Marcos”.

Presidential hopeful Tiburcio Villamor Marcos has made a series of wild claims. Photo: Facebook

According to online news site Rappler, TVM enclosed as “proof” comparative photos of Marcos as a boy and as a man, which allegedly show – perhaps if people squint hard enough – that the ears are different.

TVM, for his part, claims to be not only a son of the deceased dictator and a Spanish princess, but also a king, a “seven-star” general and an admiral.

Those positions would make him easily the most colourful candidate – if he withstands the scrutiny of the Commission on Election, which is vetting the candidates before producing a shortlist in mid-December.

The commission might find a red flag: in 2002, a Hong Kong judge convicted a man with a very similar sounding name of Tiburcio Villamor Tan Marcos for trying to withdraw billions of US dollars from a bank using forged documents.