The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) debunked a "fact-checking" report on Wednesday that claimed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. provided incorrect figures on Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) included in global university rankings during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In a statement, CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera III stated that the report was false and that 52 HEIs were acknowledged.

According to the report, Marcos praised more Philippine HEIs for achieving world-class status in the first year of his presidency, compared to only 15 HEIs in the previous year.

De Vera said that the commission provided the president with statistics based on QS (QS World, Asia, and Stars), THE (THE World, Asia, and Impact Rankings), and the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).

Meanwhile, the CWUR is not one of the CHED's acknowledged ranking measures. He then warned the public to be wary of information provided by "fact-checkers.

The CHED previously pledged to strengthen the internationalization of local universities and colleges by assisting more HEIs in gaining collaborations with other foreign universities to improve curriculum programs, training, and student exchanges.

Based on CHED, there are currently 1,968 international links or signed agreements between Philippine HEIs and world-class universities.