Both the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) believe that a maritime zones law would impose an obligation on other countries to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). During a Senate public hearing on Monday, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra told the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones that such a law would be a reflection of the relevant provisions of the UNCLOS, composed of more than 100 countries as members. "If we have a law like this, which is essentially a reflection of an international convention where the members comprise practically the entire international community, there is an expectation of an obligation on the part of these member-states to comply with our own laws since these are, as I said, a reflection essentially of an international convention of which they are members," Guevarra said. "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," he added. There are eight proposed measures seeking to define and declare the maritime zones of the Philippines, all aimed at strengthening the country's claim on the West Philippine Sea. PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said a maritime zones law would benefit law enforcement institutions "in clearly identifying the Maritime Zones of the Philippines," especially after the recent incident at the Ayungin Shoal. "With respect to the incident that happened in the Ayungin Shoal which falls within the exclusive economic zone of our country, I think the passage of a Maritime Zone law will clearly strengthen our defined zones in our maritime jurisdiction," Tarriela said. Under Article 76 of UNCLOS, all signatory-states have obligations to respect maritime jurisdiction which can be up to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Voting 284-0-0 in May, the House of Representatives approved House Bill 7819, declaring the maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines. The measure 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 zones (EEZ) and continental shelf; defines the maximum extent of territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nautical miles), EEZ (200 nautical miles) and continental shelf; allows the delineation of continental shelves extending beyond 200 nautical miles, in accordance with the UNCLOS; and provides for sovereign rights over these maritime zones, thus establishing the Philippines' exclusive rights to explore and exploit living and nonliving resources found in these zones. This prompted the Senate to create the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones, chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino who assured that the proposed measure will also specify sea lanes, air routes, and natural resources within the country's exclusive economic zone.
Source: Philippines News Agency
