Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta raised concerns Tuesday that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) may be teaching a “distorted” account of Filipino seafarer Tomas Cloma and the Spratly Islands.
During a Senate defense committee hearing, Marcoleta asked whether officers were being taught that Cloma discovered the Spratlys and later donated them to the Philippine government.
“Yun ba yung history na pinag-aaralan dito sa Command and General Staff Course? Ito ba yung tinuturo sa course na siya ang nag-discover at dinonate niya ito sa gobyerno?” he said.
AFP Education, Training and Doctrine Command representative Brig. Gen. Alexander Gigantone clarified that military history is not part of the Command and General Staff College curriculum, though he pledged to confirm with course directors.
Marcoleta welcomed the clarification but insisted the narrative must be corrected. He explained that Cloma declared a “Freedomland” claim in 1956 over parts of the Spratlys but neither discovered nor legally owned the islands.
He cited earlier claims by Britain, France, and Japan, and noted that Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978 formally incorporated the Kalayaan Island Group into Philippine territory without reference to any donation.
He added that Cloma was mentioned only briefly in the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea dispute, limited to acknowledging certain activities.
“Pag-aari natin yung occupied territories simply because nandoon ang mga tao natin and we have effective control under public international law,” Marcoleta said.
The senator warned that misrepresenting Cloma’s role could mislead military officers and undermine historical accuracy amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.