IRRI and Central Luzon State University were not established during Martial Law

Claim: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) were established during Martial Law.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post by Jay Sonza making the claim has over 3,300 reactions, 250 comments, and 572 shares.

The bottom line: The IRRI and the CLSU were established long before Ferdinand E. Marcos became president. 

Before Marcos: A Rappler fact check in May 2022 showed that the IRRI was created by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations in 1960, years before Marcos was elected. 

It is “an independent, nonprofit, research, and educational institute” that now has offices in 17 rice-producing countries.

Meanwhile, the CLSU was established in 1907 as the Central Luzon Agricultural School (CLAS). It was renamed CLSU on July 18, 1964, by virtue of Republic Act No. 4067, during the presidency of Diosdado Macapagal. – Pola Regalario/Rappler.com
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