New bill makes West Philippine Sea lessons mandatory
MANILA, Philippines — Classroom lessons about the West Philippine Sea will become as mandatory as math and reading under a new bill filed Wednesday, July 9, at the House of Representatives.
House Bill 1625, filed by lawmakers who dub themselves the "West Philippine Sea" bloc, requires all schools to teach the 2016 arbitral ruling that struck down China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea in favor of the Philippines.
Lessons on the West Philippine Sea — the part of the South China Sea that falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone — are already taught across multiple levels under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Matatag, or K to 10, curriculum.
But what House Bill 1625 wants is for all public and private schools to be legally required to teach elementary and high school students the history and legal basis of the Philippines’ jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea.
China's incursions in the West Philippine Sea — and how it impacts the Philippines' food security — is also explicitly listed as among the bill's proposed curriculum inclusions.
The measure describes the South China Sea dispute as "one of the most pressing foreign policy and national security issues facing the Philippines." It noted that the defense of the Philippines' sovereign rights requires not only legal and diplomatic action, but also "sustained effort to build awareness and civic responsibility, especially among the youth."
"Given the enduring importance of this legal victory and the continuing challenges posed by China's refusal to honor the PCA ruling, this bill seeks to integrate the history of the West Philippine Sea dispute and the Philippines' legal victory in The Hague into the curricula of public and private schools," the bill's explanatory note read.
Comprehensive maritime education
The proposed "West Philippine Sea Mandatory Education Act of 2025" was filed by Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña and Dadah Ismula (Akbayan Partylist); Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal); Rep. Krisel Lagman-Luistro (Albay, 1st District); and Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands).
These lawmakers also filed on the same day bills that seek to declare a National West Philippine Sea Victory Day and urge a review of the country's sister city ties with China that may compromise national security.
House Bill 1625 specifically mandates that students learn about the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf rights, the significance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Philippines' sovereignty over its marine resources for exploration, conservation and management.
Students would also study the Philippines' exclusive rights to establish artificial islands, offshore terminals and other structures in its waters, as well as the cultural and economic importance of these seas to Filipino fishing communities.
The curriculum would cover the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that concluded China's claims to historic rights over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis under UNCLOS.
Beijing has never recognized this ruling and has, in recent years, ramped up its assertion of its claims in nearly the entire South China Sea.
China has persistently deployed maritime militia, Navy and Coast Guard vessels within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and constructed military facilities on reefs within the Philippine continental shelf. Filipino fisherfolk and sailors have also continued to face harassment and are denied access to their traditional fishing grounds.
Under the bill, DepEd will work on the curriculum and learning modules in coordination with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs, relevant academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
"This will ensure that students fully understand the significance of the PCA ruling, the Philippines' right to protect its territorial jurisdiction, and the implications of China's refusal to recognize the ruling," it added.
DepEd's current curriculum for Araling Panlipunan requires lessons on the West Philippine Sea to be taught in Grade 6 and Grade 10.
For Grade 6, lessons on the territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea fall under major political issues post-EDSA.
Once students reach Grade 10, the curriculum mandates they learn about the "border conflicts" or territorial disputes in the tense waterways.
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