Metro Manila, Philippines – A bill seeking to declare the country’s maritime zones is short of becoming a law after it cleared the bicameral conference committee on Wednesday, a lawmaker said.
In a statement, Senator Francis Tolentino, committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty zones chairperson, said the reconciled version of the Philippine Maritime Zones Bill will be ratified next by both houses of Congress and will be sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing into law.
Tolentino said the measure will “clearly define our rights and boundaries, including the areas where our fisherfolk can sail and fish.”
“This will be the first time that the term ‘West Philippine Sea’ will be embodied, mentioned, and referred to in a law that will be passed by Congress,” Tolentino was quoted saying in a press release.
The soon-to-be-law will institutionalize the name given to the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under an executive order issued by then President Noynoy Aquino in September 2012.
Tolentino said under the approved measure, the Benham Rise off Aurora province in the Pacific Office, would be renamed “Talampas ng Pilipinas,” which is within the country’s EEZ and continental shelf.
The maritime zones bill was filed in the House of Representatives in May 2023. A Senate counterpart bill was filed in November.
This development comes in the wake of the eighth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s vast claims in the South China Sea.
Tensions between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine sea have escalated, resulting in injuries of Filipino fisherfolk.
Manila and Beijing have just agreed on a communication system to quickly address maritime conflicts up to the leadership levels of both sides.
