MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the Philippines will continue to defend its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea despite recent protest from China.
China has expressed opposition on the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which give the country more teeth on its claims to WPS.
China recently summoned Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz, saying the laws “illegally includes most of China’s Huangyan Island and Nansha Islands and related maritime areas in the Philippines’ maritime zones.”
“They (China) have objections [with the new laws]. They say they do not agree and they will continue to protect what they define as their sovereign territory,” President Marcos said.
“Of course, we do not agree with their definition of sovereign territory. So, there is no change there because our position remains the same,” the Chief Executive added.
The Philippine Maritime Zones Act is a declaration that Manila exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over its internal waters, territorial sea archipelagic waters, and the airspace over it, including its seabed and subsoil.
This covers the contiguous zone of the Philippines, which refers to the waters beyond and adjacent to its territorial sea up to 24 nautical miles from the baselines. It further defines the exclusive economic zone, the continental shelf, and the extended continental shelf that form part of the Philippine territory.
The Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, on the other hand, designated sea lanes in archipelagic waters that can be used by foreign ships and aircraft.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that the Ayungin Shoal, the Spratly Islands, Panganiban or Mischief Reef, and Recto or Reed Bank in the West Philippine Sea are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or 200 nautical miles off its territorial sea.
It also stated that Scarborough Shoal, a rich fish resource, is a common fishing ground, but China refused to recognize the ruling./PN
