Appendix 3.6: Heir to the Throne

Abstract

These documents show how Bongbong Marcos was apparently being groomed to become his father’s heir during the martial law era. The first is a declassified cable about what appears to be his first Malacañang appointment, as “Presidential Special Assistant.” No post-EDSA Revolution biographical note—campaign or otherwise—on Bongbong Marcos thus far mentions this appointment, let alone details what his  duties were in that capacity. This appears to be an attempt to mirror his father’s appointment as a technical assistant to President Manuel Roxas. The second document is another declassified cable describing Bongbong Marcos’s membership in the Philippine Constabulary Reserves. Marcos Sr. was of course a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. The last document concerns Bongbong Marcos’s (lackluster) academic record in Oxford University. Marcos clearly wanted his children to be alumni of prestigious institutions like himself, or at least ensure that they appear to have inherited his vaunted intellect. What government resources were tapped, if any, to ensure that Bongbong Marcos has the credentials to feasibly become his father’s heir to the presidency remains to be researched.