PH Maritime Zones bill to be sent to UNCLOS —Tolentino

The Philippine Maritime Zones Bill, once passed into law, will be forwarded to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Senator Francis Tolentino said Wednesday.

“After the approval of this law, hopefully, siguro dapat bago mag-Mahal na Araw, ay mai-submit natin sa United Nations, sa UNCLOS secretariat,” Tolentino said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

(After the approval of this law, hopefully, maybe before Holy Week, we will submit it to the United Nations, to the UNCLOS secretariat.)

“Nang para sa ganun kilalanin nila iyong the breadth and the extent, metes and bounds of our maritime jurisdiction including our continental shelf and seabed,” he added.

(So they will recognize the breadth and extent, metes and bounds of our maritime jurisdiction, including our continental shelf and seabed.)

Tolentino, who is the sponsor of the measure, said the bill states that the Philippines owns the artificial islands constructed by foreign countries within Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“Iyong mga artificial islands na tinayo ng ibang bansa sa ating EEZ ay nanatiling ating pag-aari. Hindi po dahil sila iyong nagtayo doon sa Fiery Cross, Mischief Reef, sila po iyong nagtayo ng kung ano mang mga air strip ay kanila iyon. Atin pa rin iyon,” he said.

(The artificial islands built by other countries in our EEZ remain our property. Just because they are the ones who built it at Fiery Cross, Mischief Reef, they built the air strips, it means they own it. It's still ours.)

“They have possession but they don't have the ownership,” he added.

On Monday, the Senate approved on third and final reading the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Bill amid China’s reported incursions in the WPS.

In a statement, National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Eduardo Año said the bill underscores the Philippines’ commitment to defining and protecting its maritime boundaries in accordance with UNCLOS.

“Most importantly, this implements in domestic legislation the 2016 Arbitral Award that the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines,” he said.

“[The bill] also establishes clear guidelines for the delineation of maritime zones, including sea lanes, air routes, and the utilization of natural resources within our jurisdiction,” he added.

Tolentino and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri in August 2023 said they will fast-track the passage of the bill amid China’s release of the new 10-dash line map which places nearly the entire South China Sea, along with Taiwan and an Indian state, within its national boundaries.

Tolentino said the proposed measure would be “a response to the 10-dash line.”

In July 2023, the Senate created a special panel in July 2023 which discussed the proposed Maritime Zones Act that will establish the extent of Philippine jurisdiction over its exclusive zones and its continental shelf. —VAL, GMA Integrated News