Philippine Authorities Advocate for Maritime Zones Law to Strengthen Compliance with UNCLOS

MANILA: The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expressed support for a maritime zones law that would bolster the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea and help achieve international compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

According to a new release by the Philippines News Agency, during a Senate public hearing on Monday, he informed the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones that the proposed law would essentially reflect the UNCLOS agreement. Guevarra emphasized that since the UNCLOS is an international convention with over 100 member countries, a Philippine law mirroring its provisions would impose an obligation on member states to comply with Philippine laws.

Guevarra added, “This will be our domestic version of an international agreement and these are the laws of the coastal state and therefore all flag states with vessels plying, for example, our maritime waters would have also a duty to comply with the laws enacted by the coastal state like the Philippines.”

PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela stated that such a law would particularly assist law enforcement agencies “in clearly identifying the Maritime Zones of the Philippines,” especially in light of recent incidents at Ayungin Shoal which falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Under Article 76 of UNCLOS, signatory states are obliged to respect maritime jurisdiction up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines used for measuring the territorial sea. In May, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 7819, which aims to define and declare various maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines. The bill includes specifics on internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, and continental shelf.

This development led to the formation of the Senate’s Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones, chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino. Tolentino assured that the proposed measures would also specify sea lanes, air routes, and natural resources within the Philippines’ EEZ.