Several videos claiming that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos is the “original author” or the one behind the Free College Tuition Law are circulating online. This is false.
Since May 14, some Facebook (FB) users and a TikTok account have posted a 55-second clip of Marcos’ speech in 2015, where he advocated for free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs). A screenshot of a press release on the same topic posted that same year was also overlaid.
A May 14 TikTok video carried the text:
“Libreng Kolehiyo ni Senator Marcos (Free college of Senator Marcos). Don’t forget the original author of free tuition in all state college (sic). It’s PBBM.”
A FB reel posted on May 15 and containing the same clip bore the text:
“FREE COLLEGE TUITION BILL NI PBBM, DI PINANSIN NI P-NOY DAHIL WALA DAW PONDO (FREE COLLEGE TUITION BILL OF PBBM, IGNORED BY P-NOY SUPPOSEDLY DUE TO THE LACK OF FUNDS). We should also give credit “batas na libreng kolehiyo” (free college tuition law) to PBBM. He is one behind of that law.. aside from Bam Aquino, Win Gatchalian, Ralph Recto.”
These posts are false. While Marcos pushed for free college tuition in SUCs in the speech and press release mentioned, he never filed a bill on this, neither as a senator nor a congressman.
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.