Tolentino says maritime zone law could help monitor smuggling

For Senator Francis Tolentino, the passage of a law on Philippine maritime zones will help the government monitor smuggling activities, including that of rice, onion, and sugar.

"Ganon din, siguro madaling mamonitor ang smuggler ng bigas, smuggler ng onion, smuggler ng sugar kasi doon lang sila dadaan. So, wala pa ho tayong ganoong batas," Tolentino said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday.

(Maybe we can easily monitor smugglers of rice, onion, and sugar because they will pass there. We don't have this kind of law yet.)

"Bakit kailangan 'yung maritime zone laws din, sa ngayon po mayroon nang 152 countries na mayroong maritime zone laws. Ang Pilipinas na napapalibutan ng dagat, wala," he added.

(Why is it needed? At present, 152 countries have maritime zone laws. The Philippines, which is surrounded by waters, does not have this law.)

Earlier, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. blamed smugglers for the increasing prices of basic commodities. He warned that their days are already numbered.

Tolentino and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier vowed to fasttrack the passage of the Philippine Maritime Zones bill.

Tolentino had said that the proposed Maritime Zones Act will establish the extent of Philippine jurisdiction over its exclusive zones and its continental shelf.

He added that this would be passed along with another measure that will establish the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes.

Tolentino said the Senate special committee on maritime and admiralty zones, which he chairs, would have its first hearing on September 14.

"Ang unang hearing namin ay September 14, next week, so magko-convene po 'yung committee next week and then isasalang na po namin 'yung various proposals, kabilang po 'yung proposal ko Senate Bill 2294 declaring maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines," the senator said.

(Our first hearing will be on September 14, next week, so we will convene and we will tackle various proposals, including my Senate Bill 2294, declaring maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines.)

Tolentino said the special panel was created to address lingering issues concerning the country's territorial boundaries, continental shelf, maritime zones, and its exclusive economic zone.

He said he does not expect China to recognize the establishment of Philippine boundaries under the measure.

"We don't expect as they don't recognize the arbitral ruling but again, we're asserting something that have a legal basis because you will now be domesticating international law," he said.

Currently, there are seven bills filed on the Philippine Maritime Zones Act while there are four bills on the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes.

Recently, China published a new official “standard” map showing extended claims in the South China Sea (SCS).

The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, rejected Beijing's publication of a new map that infringes Manila's claims in the resource-rich waters.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had said that the government will respond to China's publication of its new map.—AOL, GMA Integrated News