Bacolod City – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently signed laws declaring the maritime zones under Philippine jurisdiction and designating sea lanes in the country for foreign vessels and aircraft.
It is a milestone for all Filipinos, a crucial step in safeguarding our national interests and asserting our maritime entitlements and jurisdiction, former Negros Occidental 3rd district Representative Jose Francisco Benitez said.
We worked hard on this bill in the House, as author and member of the Bicameral Conference Committee, recalled Benitez, who is now the head of TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
These two new laws are aimed at regulating the entry and activities in our internal waters, territorial sea, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and continental shelf, he added.
Along with the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, this is our way of ensuring our maritime entitlements are firmly grounded in international standards set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the former solon said.
Marcos, who signed the two new laws in a ceremony at Malacañang Palace in Manila on November 8, said the signing of Republic Act (RA) Nos. 12064 and 12065 demonstrates the country’s commitment as a responsible member of the international community and advocacy to uphold rules-based international order.
He added that the laws signal his administration’s resolve to protect the country’s maritime resources, preserve its rich biodiversity, and ensure that Philippine waters remain a source of life and livelihood for all Filipinos.
“Today, we gather for the signing of two very significant laws that emphasize the importance of our maritime and archipelagic identity – the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act,” the Chief Executive said.
“With these pieces of legislation, we align our domestic laws with international law, specifically the UN (United Nations) Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS to improve our capacity for governance and reinforce our maritime policies for economic development and for national security”, he added.
Marcos said the declaration of the country’s maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes demonstrates his administration’s assertion of the country’s rights as an archipelagic state while fulfilling its obligations under international law.
“It is expected that the clarity of the extent of the maritime zones and the determination of the archipelagic sea lanes will impact domestic laws and regulations at the national and at the local level,” he added.
The Philippine Maritime Zones Act or RA 12064 aims to declare the rights and entitlements of the Philippines over its maritime zones to establish legal bases for the conduct of social, economic, commercial, and other activities in the areas.
RA 12064 provides for a general declaration of the maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines, which include internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and continental shelf.
The new law defines the maximum extent of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nautical miles), EEZ (200 nautical miles), and continental shelf.
It also allows the delineation of continental shelves extending beyond 200 nautical miles, in accordance with Article 76 of the UNCLOS.
The law also provides for sovereign rights over the Philippines’ maritime zones, establishing the country’s exclusive rights to explore and exploit living and nonliving resources found in the zones, in compliance with the UNCLOS and other existing laws and treaties.
The rights of the Philippines relative to its maritime zones and entitlements shall be exercised in accordance with the UNCLOS and the awards rendered by the Hague-based arbitral tribunal in Permanent Court of Arbitration Case 23 No. 2013-19 in the matter of the South China Sea Arbitration between the Philippines and China handed down on July 12, 2016.
Meanwhile, the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act or RA 12065 designates the sea lanes and air routes suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircraft through or over its archipelagic water and the adjacent territorial sea.
RA 12065 was signed to prevent arbitrary international passage in the Philippine archipelago.
It also prescribes the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircraft exercising the right of archipelagic sea lanes passage through the established Philippine archipelagic sea lanes.
The new law penalizes non-compliance with the provisions of the law, as well as with existing fisheries, environmental, customs, fiscal, immigration, sanitary, and other pertinent laws.
Marcos said RA 12065 complements both the maritime and aerial policies by establishing a route system in the country’s archipelagic waters, as well as the airspace above it. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star with PNA reports)