FACT CHECK: Marcoleta not behind West Philippine Sea label on Google Maps

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In a statement sent to Rappler, Google said the West Philippine Sea has always been labeled on Google Maps, but changes were made to make the label easier to see at additional zoom levels

Claim: A West Philippine Sea label was added to Google Maps because Sagip Representative Rodante Marcoleta spoke up about the issue.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post bearing the false claim has garnered 1,200 reactions, 639 shares, and 198 comments as of writing.

A screenshot of Google Maps with the West Philippine Sea label present and a photo of Marcoleta with the Philippine flag are included in the post. “Dahil sayo nasa Google Map (sic) na ang West Philippine Sea (Because of you, the West Philippine Sea is on Google Maps),” text on the photo says.

The caption addresses the post to Marcoleta’s critics and those who say he is pro-China. It also says that “Ka Dante” spoke up about the issue of the West Philippine Sea and fought for the label to be added on the maps so that Filipinos can be given the right information. 

Another Facebook post has the caption “Dahil kay Marcoleta, opisyal ngang naka-label sa Google Map ang ‘West Philippine Sea’ sa mapa ng Pilipinas!” 

(Because of Marcoleta, Google Maps has officially labeled the ‘West Philippine Sea’ on the map of the Philippines!)

The facts: In an April 15 statement sent to Rappler, Google said that the West Philippine Sea has always been labeled on Google Maps, but recent changes were made to the label’s visibility to make it easier to see at additional zoom levels. (READ MORE: Google makes ‘West Philippine Sea’ easier to see in Maps outputs) 

Meanwhile, Marcoleta drew flak for his statements during a February 4 House hearing where he said, “Kahit na basahin mo yung ating mapa (Even if you read our map) or what, there is no West Philippine Sea.”

After other government officials, experts, and fact-checking organizations called out the legislator for his false claim, Marcoleta clarified his stance in the succeeding House hearing on February 18. He noted that his statement was based on the lack of the “West Philippine Sea” label on world maps.

“That [statement] was in context of the fact that it is not yet registered in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO),” he added. 

The West Philippine Sea, which refers to the maritime areas along the western side of the Philippine archipelago that are within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, is codified in the government’s official documents.

Marcoleta’s election bid: Because of his previous statements, Marcoleta said in the same February 18 House hearing that people have been bashing him and calling him pro-China. 

Marcoleta is running for senator in the May 2025 national elections. The Social Weather Stations’ April pre-election survey saw the lawmaker fall from the winning circle to 19th to 20th place. – Shay Du/Rappler.com

Shay Du is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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