Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 23) — Solicitor General Menardo Gueverra on Monday said foreign countries will be obliged to comply with Philippine laws governing its territorial waters once the proposed maritime zones bill becomes law.
\”This will be our domestic version of an international agreement and these are the laws of the coastal state. Therefore, all flag states with vessel plying, for example, our maritime waters, would also have a duty to comply with the laws enacted by the coastal state like the Philippines,\” Gueverra told the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones.
In the Senate hearing, Guevarra explained that a maritime zones law would reflect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which more than 100 countries have ratified.
The Philippine Maritime Zones Act, or House Bill 7819, was proposed amid heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing due to the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
The measure provides a general declaration of the maritime zones under Philippine jurisdiction, including internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and continental shelf.
Over the weekend, authorities reported that Chinese ships collided with Philippine military-contracted civilian boats on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal.
China again claimed that the Filipino vessels were “illegally carrying construction materials” and that the action of the China Coast Guard was “reasonable, lawful, and professional.”
READ: PCG: 13 Chinese vessels interfered with WPS resupply mission that led to collision
The solicitor general said initial findings revealed that the latest blocking incident in the West Philippines Sea was not accidental but intentional, adding that his office ask the Department of Foreign Affairs to urge China to “cease and desist from committing such further acts.”
\”We will definitely recommend to the DFA to call on China to respect or to rather comply with its obligations in international law to settle disputes peacefully,” Guevarra said.
Senator Francis Tolentino, who chairs the special committee, echoed Guevarra’s call, saying that the DFA should apply diplomatic countermeasures.
He also suggested that an investigation be conducted according to the Safety of Life at Sea and Casualty Investigation Code.
