The country's goal to pass a maritime zone law may oblige other countries to fully comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.

The Office of the Solicitor General and the Philippine Coast Guard emphasized this during Monday's hearing on the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said it could be the country's "domestic version" of an international agreement.

"These are the laws of the coastal state, and therefore all flag states with vessels plying, for example, our maritime waters would also have a duty to comply with the (said) laws," Guevarra explained.

Guevarra said a maritime zone law for the Philippines could "essentially become 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," he added.

Citing the latest collision incident at the Ayungin Shoal, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said a maritime zones law would benefit law enforcement institutions "in clearly identifying the Maritime Zones of the Philippines."

"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," he said.

Article 76 of UNCLOS mandates all signatory states to respect maritime jurisdictions, which can be up to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines of a country where the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

The Senate is currently tackling eight proposed measures seeking to define and declare the maritime zones of the Philippines.

In May, the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Bill 7819, declaring the maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines.

HB 7819, which prompted the Senate to create the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones, provides for a general declaration of the maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines.

The maritime zones include the internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zones, and continental shelf.

It aims to define the maximum extent of territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nautical miles), EEZ (200 nautical miles), and continental shelf, allowing the delineation of continental shelves extending beyond 200 nautical miles, in accordance with UNCLOS.

The bill also 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.