Marcos
Tacloban City — He got his mestizo looks from his paternal grandfather who was an American. But it was from his grandmother who gave him a more famous family name.
Supt. Marvin Marcos, the controversial chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Eastern Visayas (CIDG-8), traced his roots to the family of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
His great great grandfather on the mother’s side was Anastacio, who was the brother of Mariano Marcos, father of the late dictator.
But his grandfather, Theodore Candon, was an American soldier from Michigan who later separated from his wife and went back to the United States.
Marvin’s father, Teodoro, said his grandmother on the mother’s side told him to use the family name of his mother because his parents had already separated.
“I was entrusted to her (grandmother) by my mother when she worked in Manila, when I was about four or five years old. I never met my father though,” he said.
But his birth certificate reflected the family name of his father – Candon – although he never used it.
Distant relative
The Marcos family has always traced their roots from Ilocos Norte since Ferdinand Marcos was a distant relative.
Mariano, the former dictator’s father, and Anastacio, Teodoro’s great grandfather on the mother’s side, were brothers.
Anastacio’s real name was Fabian, but he changed it to avoid detection since he was a member of a group supporting a “revolt” being carried out by Gregorio Aglipay, founder of the Philippine Independent Church, against the Catholic Church.
Anastacio fled to Dulag town in Leyte and married a local lass, Gavina Aguillon.
They later moved to the nearby town of La Paz.
Teodoro said Anastacio’s real name was in the Marcos family memorabilia found at the Marcos Museum in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
“We are distant relatives. The former president acknowledged this when, during his campaign in La Paz when he first ran as a senator, he visited my grandfather, Antonio Marcos Sr.,” he said.
Teodoro’s father, Antonio, also asked the help of Ferdinand for a job at the Bureau of Customs.
But Teodoro, 69, and a retired Customs examiner appraiser, said he had not asked the help of the former dictator whom he met only once in Tolosa, the hometown of Imelda, the former first lady.
He also has no plans of asking help from Ferdinand’s only son, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on behalf of his son, Marvin.
Duterte’s allies
Incidentally, the Marcoses are allies of President Rodrigo Duterte who earlier issued a statement that no police officer would be sent to jail in the course of his brutal campaign on the proliferation of illegal drugs.
Marvin was among the CIDG-8 operatives who were recommended to be charged with murder for the death of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and another detainee, Raul Yap, inside their cells at the sub-provincial jail in Baybay City, Leyte on Nov. 5.
A team of CIDG-8 barged into the cells of Espinosa and Yap purportedly to serve a search warrant for illegal drugs and a gun when they were allegedly fired upon by the suspects.
The operation had the consent of Marvin, CIDG-8 head, who didn’t inform his superiors at the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas or the provincial government about it.
Senators and the NBI found the killing of Espinosa and Yap pre-meditated.
During the Senate inquiry, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, son of the slain mayor, alleged that Marvin was among the police officials in Eastern Visayas who received money in exchange for protection.
The money was supposed to be used by Marvin’s wife, Marites, a nurse who run for vice mayor in Pastrana town, but she ranked third in a three-corner-fight.
Separated from wife
In denying the charges, Marcos claimed that he and his wife were separated for three years.
But according to his father, Marvin’s wife went to New Zealand to work as a nurse for three years, which may have triggered the separation.
When Marvin was home in Tacloban after the Senate hearing, his wife came to their house to visit him in Barangay Caibaan, Tacloban.
But Teodoro, who now writes a column in a local newspaper owned by his sister, didn’t believe the allegation that Marvin was involved in illegal drugs.
“He also kept on telling me on why should people believe a drug lord more than a police officer like him,” the father said.
Teodoro said Marvin, 44, was “not that rich” and asked his father if he could build his house inside their 800-square-meter compound in 2011.
His only worry was Marvin’s promotion to senior superintendent due to the controversy, although he was confident that Marvin would be able to hurdle it.
Marvin is the second of the six children of Teodoro and wife Evelyn, who is now based in the US with their eldest daughter. All Marvin’s siblings are professionals – three of whom are working abroad.
Campus figure to cop
Marcos was a graduate of Civil Engineering at the now defunct Divine Word University in Tacloban where he was a campus figure and was the executive officer of the Reserved Officers Training Corps.
An uncle, who was working in the city jail, encouraged him to become either a policeman or soldier.
Teodoro prevailed upon his son to enter the Philippine National Police (PNP) because it was easier.
Marvin took and passed the PNPA entrance examination in 1992, a year after he graduated from college.
His first assignment was in Cebu and later returned in Leyte as a member of the elite Special Action Force, where he met his wife, Marites, a nurse at the clinic of the police regional headquarters in Palo town, Leyte.
He was later given assignments in Metro Manila and in Mindanao as a member of the Task Force Anti-Illegal Gambling.
Marcos then returned to Eastern Visayas to head the CIDG-8.