Senate ratifies bicam report on PHL sea lanes
THE SENATE on Wednesday approved a bicameral conference committee report of a bill that seeks to set up sea lanes at the Balintang Channel, Celebes and Sulu Seas, among other waterways, to assert Manila’s sovereignty.
Based on a copy of the joint explanation of the reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 2665 and House Bill No. 9034, the measure would adopt the principles on the passage of foreign vessels found in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The reconciled Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes bill also recognizes the immunities of foreign warships and military aircraft for non-commercial purposes found under UNCLOS and international law, according to a copy of the conference committee report sent to reporters via Viber.
Once passed into law, the sea lanes measure would be submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to notify countries of what it entails, Senate Majority Floor Leader Francis N. Tolentino, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, told the plenary.
“The IMO enforces strict compliance mechanisms, and if they (foreign vessels and aircraft, including military warships and aircraft) do not comply, we can deny them access under this measure,” Mr. Tolentino explained.
Under the bill, which the Senate approved last month, Philippine archipelagic territories would be established along three axis lines, with the first connecting the Philippine Sea, Balintang Channel and the South China Sea.
The second axis will fall within the Celebes Sea, Sibutu Passage, Sulu Sea, Cuyo East Pass, Mindoro Strait and the South China Sea.
A third axis lies within the Celebes Sea, Basilan Strait, Sulu Sea, Nasubata Channel, Balabac Strait and the South China Sea.
The measure complements the Philippine Maritime Zones Bill that establishes the country’s maritime territories extending to the South China Sea, which had been ratified in August. The two bills are among the priority measures outlined by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. — John Victor D. Ordoñez