The House Young Guns—Deputy Speakers Francisco Paolo Ortega and Jefferson Khonghun, together with Representatives Zia Alonto Adiong, Rodge Gutierrez, and Ernesto Dionisio Jr.—filed House Bill No. 10587 or the “West Philippine Sea Education Act.”
The measure institutionalizes a comprehensive West Philippine Sea Education and Awareness Program, mandates the integration of age-appropriate West Philippine Sea education into basic and higher education curricula, and promotes national understanding of the Philippines’ maritime rights under the Constitution, Republic Act No. 12064 (Philippine Maritime Zones Act), UNCLOS, and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
“Our young people are vulnerable to fake news and propaganda flooding social media.”
“Filipino students must learn the facts—that we are advocating for a rules-based international order, and that the West Philippine Sea is rightfully ours,” the House Young Guns declared in a joint statement. “Our young people are vulnerable to fake news and propaganda flooding social media. We have a duty to teach them the truth so they grow up armed with accurate, evidence-based knowledge of our sovereign rights and entitlements.”
The lawmakers stressed that the bill is urgently needed amid ongoing challenges in the West Philippine Sea.
“It is very unfortunate that even some public officials are openly spreading the pro-China narrative and defending them while they water-cannon our men and the fisherfolk,” they said. “This cannot continue.”
“Dapat tayo ay manindigan kung ano ang sa atin.”
“Naniniwala kami na dapat lahat ng Pilipino—lalong lalo na ang mga halal ng bayan—ay hindi dapat maging traydor. Dapat tayo ay manindigan kung ano ang sa atin,” the group emphasized. “Para hindi lumaki na traydor sa bayan, dapat simulan natin ngayon sa ating mga paaralan ang pagtuturo ng katotohanan tungkol sa West Philippine Sea.”
HB 10587 directs the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to develop standardized, regularly updated learning materials in coordination with NAMRIA, the National Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Maritime Council, the Philippine Coast Guard, and other relevant agencies. It also provides for educator capacity-building, nationwide public awareness campaigns, and research on maritime security, marine biodiversity, Philippine maritime claims, and the welfare of coastal communities.
The bill ensures that instruction remains nonpartisan, evidence-based, and anchored on internationally recognized facts, official government maps and policies, and the principles of peaceful dispute settlement.
