Marcos admin unwavering in asserting PH rights over WPS

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Philippines will neither yield nor waver in asserting its rights and interests over the West Philippine Sea.

This was the commitment President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. promised to the Filipino people in his 3rd State of the Nation Address – a policy statement that continues to guide government action over the resource-rich water.

In instances where Philippine maritime missions are met with aggressive and dangerous Chinese actions, Manila is unyielding in airing its strong protest.

Equally committed to maintaining peace without compromising the country’s position, the Marcos administration exerts the same amount of effort at defusing tensions by keeping its communication lines for dialogue open.

More tangibly, Marcos in the past year signed two laws – the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act – effectively reinforcing the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the West Philippines Sea.

The Philippine Maritime Zones Act had explicitly defined the extent of the country’s internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf that are fully in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea, which favored the Philippines and invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claim.

The Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, meanwhile, designates the sea lanes and air routes suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircraft through or over its archipelagic water and the adjacent territorial sea. The law was signed to prevent arbitrary international passage in the Philippine archipelago.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is also advancing the standard naming of the 131 features in the Kalayaan Island Group.

Before the Chief Executive’s 4th SONA on July 28, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) would sustain a Philippine maritime policy that is firmly rooted on international law.

“Being on the right side of the rules-based order and international law makes it easier for others to join us in taking a stand and forming a tight bond that can withstand illegal and unfounded claims and aggressive actions at sea,” she said in her first keynote remarks on maritime perspectives as the new Philippine chief diplomat on July 11.

“The waters may continue to be rough and turbulent, but together we can steady the sails and navigate through obstacles, as we defend the rules-based order in the maritime domain,” she added.

In her recent press engagement, Lazaro said the Philippines would also leverage partnership and alliances with like-minded countries to bolster the country’s position and at the same time strengthen its capacities.

As the country deepens security cooperation with several states, it has since forged a number of visiting forces agreements and at least 11 bilateral maritime dialogues.

It also established the historic trilateral maritime dialogue with Japan and the United States and grew the number of states joining its multilateral maritime cooperative activities in the West Philippine Sea.

“All of these demonstrate that the Philippines does not stand alone, and can rely on its partners in order to maintain regional peace and security,” Lazaro said.

On the multilateral front, the official said Manila is similarly committed to the conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by 2026.

The COC had been in the works for years and, if adopted between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), would provide a set of rules to manage tension in the disputed South China Sea.