The rights of the Philippines over its maritime zones can soon be codified after the Senate on Monday night ratified the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, principal author and sponsor of the bill, said it is now awaiting the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in order to become a law.
Tolentino said the measure sets the archipelagic boundaries, the country’s internal waters, and exclusive economic zones over which the Philippine government exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction.
Under the proposed law, the Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea are highlighted together with the Benham Rise now known as “Talampas ng Pilipinas.”
Prior to the ratification, Tolentino sponsored the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill 2492 and House Bill 7819 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Bill.
He said the highlights of the disagreeing provisions would perhaps relay to the convergence of articles concerning the internal waters, as well as the archipelagic waters.
“So what the committee did was to just fuse both provisions, the internal waters as well as archipelagic waters provisions, and I think we have now a clearer bill with the forthcoming approval of the Archipelagic Sea Lanes law, this would be as clear as day,” Tolentino said.
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