A proposal now before the Senate aims to formalize how Filipino students learn about the West Philippine Sea, placing the long-running maritime dispute at the center of classroom instruction from basic to higher education.
Filed by Erwin Tulfo, Senate Bill No. 1625 — titled the West Philippine Sea Education Act — calls on schools to integrate lessons on the West Philippine Sea using a structured approach calibrated to students’ age and academic level.
The measure argues that a standardized curriculum would help ensure that discussions on the subject are grounded in verified material rather than political rhetoric or misinformation. Its explanatory note states that providing “accurate, and evidence-based information” is intended to equip Filipinos to engage in the defense of the country’s maritime entitlements and to contribute to public debate and policy discussions.
Under the bill, teaching content must be based on internationally accepted facts, rulings of the Supreme Court, existing Philippine laws, and other relevant academic references. The drafting and production of learning materials would not be left solely to educators; instead, the bill mandates coordination with key government bodies, including the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the National Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies with related mandates.
Beyond classroom teaching, the proposal encourages state universities, colleges, and research institutions to deepen scholarly work on maritime-related fields. These include maritime security and governance, marine biodiversity and conservation, Philippine maritime claims, and the socioeconomic effects of maritime disputes on coastal communities. Research findings, according to the bill, should be made available to both policymakers and the public, subject to existing laws governing security and information disclosure.
The filing of the measure comes in the wake of recent incidents at Sabina Shoal, also known as Escoda Shoal, where encounters involving Chinese vessels reportedly resulted in injuries to three Filipino fishermen.
Sabina Shoal lies roughly 75 nautical miles, or about 140 kilometers, west of Palawan. The area is a coral reef system characterized by a central lagoon encircled by fragmented shallow zones and is referred to by China as Xianbin Reef.
