FALSE: Philippines had a consulate in every country until 1986

At a glance

• Claim: The Philippines had a consulate in every country in the world, but the buildings housing them were all sold in 1986 during the administration of then-president Corazon Aquino.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: There were independent countries where the Philippines did not formally establish diplomatic relations with until after 1986. Moreover, there is at least one country that was independent before 1986 that the Philippines never had diplomatic relations with.
• Why we fact-checked this: This has been circulating on Facebook pages and groups, such the page “LABAN PINAS,” which posted the claim on May 28. It has since gotten 458 reactions, 132 comments, and 202 shares.

Complete details

On May 28, a post on the Facebook page “LABAN PINAS” said that the Philippines once had a consulate in every country, but the buildings housing them were all sold by then-president Corazon Aquino in 1986.

As of writing, this post has 458 reactions, 132 comments, and 202 shares. The claim has also been circulating on other Facebook pages, such as “Ferdinand Marcos Supporters” and “Spartacuz – Kaloys,” as well as in some Facebook groups, such as “BBM 2022 MARCOS LOYALIST ALLIANCE” and “Philippine History & Current Events.”

The claim that the Philippines had a consulate in every country in the world before 1986 is false. 

There were independent countries prior to 1986 with which the Philippines established diplomatic relations only after that year. Here are examples of such countries:

• Lesotho, which was an independent country since October 4, 1966, established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on April 15, 1998.
• North Korea, which became independent from Japan as a part of Korea (North and South combined) on August 15, 1945 and was established as a country on September 9, 1948. It established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on July 12, 2000. The Philippine ambassador to North Korea, Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, is also the Philippine ambassador to China and is stationed in Beijing.
• San Marino, whose status as an independent country was recognized as far back as 1862, established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on January 27, 2003. The Philippine Consulate in San Marino is located in Florence, Italy.
• Solomon Islands, which has been an independent country since July 7, 1978, established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on September 27, 2004.
• South Africa, which was an independent country since May 31, 1910, established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on February 19, 1993.
• The Gambia, which was an independent country since February 18, 1965, established diplomatic relations with the Philippines on June 26, 1996.

There is also at least one country that was independent before 1986 that the Philippines has never had diplomatic relations with. Bhutan, whose independence was recognized in a 1949 agreement with India, does not list the Philippines among the countries with which it has bilateral relations. The Philippines presented a formal request to Bhutan for the establishment of diplomatic relations on December 18, 2019.

Rappler has fact-checked the Facebook page “LABAN PINAS” at least once before. – Percival Bueser/Rappler.com

Percival Bueser 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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