The proposed Maritime Zones Bill, which defines the extent of Philippine waters, has been approved by a bicameral conference committee on Wednesday.
“We have reconciled the provisions on internal waters and archipelagic waters, which are technical and legal. So now it is for the signing of the President,” said Senate Majority Leader Senator Francis Tolentino, the bill’s principal author.
The final version of the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act included Palawan and the Philippine Rise.
Once enacted, the measure is expected to declare the country’s maritime zones based on the standards set by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and eventually the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, which was also based on UNCLOS.
“Our rights and our boundaries are now clear there. It is good that we have a law that states where we can sail and fish,” Tolentino said.
The following would be included in the country’s maritime zones: internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea said the proposed law is “foundational” in the country’s commitment to UNCLOS.
“That in itself is very important… With this act, we are also laying the groundwork for improving our law enforcement within these maritime zones,” Batongbacal said.
He said it will also enable law enforcement “even against foreign vessels in accordance with international law.” “This act will now set the stage for that. The parameters for the Philippines coming to any agreement with China or any other nation will have been already clarified,” Batongbacal said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs described the proposed law as a “crucial step” in putting the country’s “archipelagic house in order” and in harmonizing domestic law with the UNCLOS.
China earlier protested the passage of the draft law on the Philippines’ maritime zones.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the measure “attempted to further enforce the illegal arbitral award on the South China Sea by domestic legislation.”
“(It) severely violates China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea by including Scarborough Shoal, which is called Huangyan Dao in China, most islands and reefs of the Spratly archipelago (Nansha Qundao in Chinese), and their adjacent waters into its maritime zones…China firmly opposes it and has lodged solemn démarches to the Philippines,” she added.
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