Tolentino presses passage of Maritime Zones Act

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino emphasized the urgent passage of the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act in light of the recent altercation between Philippine Navy (PN) and Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) personnel near the Ayungin Shoal.

In a television interview, Tolentino, who also chairs the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, said the measure will fortify the country’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Likewise, the proposed measure, which he authored, will enforce the historic Hague Arbitral Ruling of 2016 which favored the Philippines’ claims to the disputed area.

“The Maritime zones law, once signed and approved by the President, will have to be submitted to the United Nations Secretary General, not just for compilation, but for dissemination to all member-states, including states which are not signatories to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” he said.

“(The law) will be part of the global regime of laws (and) it will make the next president abide by the Maritime Zones Law,” he added.

Earlier this week, the CCG reportedly seized food and other supplies intended for Philippine military personnel posted at the BRP Sierra Madre, a PN vessel deliberately grounded on Ayungin Shoal to serve as an outpost of Philippine Marines and to assert the country’s sovereignty over the WPS.

Likewise, the CCG reportedly prevented Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area by using a water cannon to drive them away.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the wps, as part of its territory. Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

In 2016, the Philippines won its case against the People’s Republic of China from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. The landmark South China Sea arbitration ruling saying that China’s expansive maritime claims over the SCS have no legal basis is rejected by Beijing.