Rep. Rachel Arenas (3rd District, Pangasinan).
THE House of Representatives approved yesterday on Second Reading the bill declaring the maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines.
The said bill was sponsored at the plenary by Rep. Rachel Arenas (3rd District, Pangasinan) who is the Chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In her sponsorship speech, Arenas argued that the proposed measure is fundamental to the national interests of the Philippines as an archipelagic state.
“We cannot defend and protect our maritime territory without declaring what is ours. We cannot pursue food and economic security without delimiting the jurisdictions of the Philippine maritime territory. We cannot strengthen our position in the West Philippine Sea and negotiate with our neighbors if our maritime boundaries are not recognized by the community of nations. We cannot secure the future of the Filipino people if we will not enact a Maritime Zones Law,” Arenas said.
Without mentioning any country, Arenas pushed for the bill considering the situation of the Filipino fishermen who have been deprived of their rights to fish within the country’s exclusive economic zone, the regular but illegal passage of hundreds of ships in the West Philippine Sea by “our big neighbor”, and the destruction of our coral reefs due to island-building and poaching activities of the same country.
To fully protect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines against non-compliant states, Rep. Kiko Benitez (3rd District, Negros Occidental) introduced a new section on “Reciprocity and Mutuality” which will allow the Philippines to deny the passage of foreign vessels and aircraft considered to be non-compliant with the pertinent provisions of UNCLOS.
Arenas accepted the individual amendment and agreed that only the foreign vessels and aircraft of States that respect and comply with UNCLOS and international law can fully enjoy navigational and other rights in Philippine maritime zones.
Arenas delivered her sponsorship speech in the presence of representatives from the member agencies of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea who fully support the proposed measure. These executive agencies have been lobbying since the 15th Congress for the immediate passage of this bill.
Arenas emphasized that the bill supports President Ferdinand BongBong Marcos, Jr.’s assurance to the Filipino people that he will not give up even a square inch of Philippine territory to a foreign power.
