The Claim: BBM authored the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law
Rating: FALSE
The Facts: Bongbong Marcos’s website claims he authored Republic Act 9522 or the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law, which defines the territorial seas of the Philippines.
This is False.
RA 9522, which consolidates House Bill 3216 with Senate Bill No. 2699, has had zero involvement from Bongbong Marcos (https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/republic_acts/ra%209522.pdf).
HB 3216 was principally written by Antonio Cuenco and filed on 2007 (https://hrep-website.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/…), while the Senate counterpart was filed in 2008 by Antonio Trillanes IV, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Edgardo Angara, Rodolfo Biazon, Juan Ponce Enrile, and Miriam Defensor Santiago (https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/91138292!.pdf).
The bill was then signed into law by then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in March of 2009 (https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/republic_acts/ra%209522.pdf).
The only involvement of a Marcos in the baselines law was not even Bongbong’s, but rather then Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos, who filed House Resolution 214 in 2004, Congress session 13-1RS-017, which did not even form part of the law but rather was a resolution urging the President, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and government agencies to prioritize determining national territories and archipelagic baselines.
Bongbong has no direct connection with RA 9522.
Why we fact-checked this: Despite being fact-checked prior (https://www.philstar.com/…/fact-check-who-authored…), the false information continues to be paraded around in no less than Marcos’s official website. Therefore, it is important to similarly remind people that the information remains false.
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