FACT CHECK

FALSE: Filipino 'royal family' ruled over pre-colonial 'Maharlika kingdom'

There are no records that show proof of a pre-colonial Filipino royal family that ruled over a kingdom
called Maharlika, which was made up of the Philippines, Brunei, South Borneo, Hawaii, the Spratly
Islands, and Sabah

Rappler.com

Published 11:30 AM, February 15, 2019

Updated 12:15 AM, February 16, 2019

A screenshot of a Facebook post that claims the Marcoses were given gold bars by a 'Filipino royal family'
whose last name is Tallano.

A screenshot of a Facebook post that claims the Marcoses were given gold bars by a 'Filipino royal family'
whose last name is Tallano.

Claim: A post on Facebook dated September 24, 2018 states that former president Ferdinand Marcos
was paid in gold by the "Tallano royal family of the Philippines" for being their lawyer.

The so-called royal family, whose last name is Tallano, is said to have ruled over a kingdom called
Maharlika that was made up of the Philippines, Brunei, South Borneo, Hawaii, the Spratly Islands, and
Sabah before Spain colonized our country.
They allegedly "owned" our country until the mid-18th century.

Our national hero Jose Rizal was supposedly a direct descendant of the Tallano family.

The Tallanos was said to have paid Marcos "192 thousand tons of gold" because they hired him to be
their lawyer before he became a politician.

Accompanying the post is a photo of Marcos and his wife, former first lady Imelda Marcos,
superimposed over a photo of gold bars. Another photo superimposed over the gold bars is of President
Rodrigo Duterte. Text on the photo reads: "Marcos gold will save the world!"