Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippines formally presented its bid to expand its seabed rights in the West Philippine Sea before a United Nations body, asking the commission to recognize the country’s entitlement to an extended continental shelf off west Palawan.
The Philippine delegation delivered the official presentation with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, July 28.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the submission demonstrates the Philippines’ “steadfast commitment” to the UN charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“The submission was a demonstration of the Philippines’ steadfast commitment to the United Nations Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS, reflecting the country’s trust on a rules-based order in the marine and maritime domain,” Deputy Assistant Secretary and Maritime Affairs spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said.
The DFA said the submission is also part of efforts to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea.
“The submission was part of the country’s responsibility to secure a peaceful South China Sea through the rule of law in order to sustain the livelihoods of Filipinos, foster trade, protect marine biodiversity, and unite coastal and littoral States,” the department said.
During the presentation, the Philippines asked the commission to consider legal rulings issued by tribunals constituted under UNCLOS, including the landmark 2016 South China Sea arbitral award, which it said had “authoritatively determined the maritime entitlements of littoral States in the South China Sea.”
The submission was made under Article 76 of UNCLOS, which allows coastal states to establish the outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles based on scientific and technical evidence. Recognition of an extended continental shelf gives a coastal state sovereign rights over the seabed and subsoil for exploring and exploiting natural resources but does not expand its territorial sea or exclusive economic zone.
The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority led the extended continental shelf technical working group, which spent 15 years preparing the submission.
Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Enrique Manalo headed the delegation, including officials from the DFA, Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General and NAMRIA, along with experts from the University of the Philippines.
This is the second time the Philippines has sought recognition of an extended continental shelf with the CLCS. In 2009, Manila submitted its claim over the Philippine Rise, which the commission validated in 2012, resulting in 135,506 square kilometers more seabed under Philippine jurisdiction.
