President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos responded to China’s recent claims in the West Philippine Sea, stating they were “not unexpected” while highlighting the need for clearer maritime boundaries to ease tensions.
“We have to define closely,” President Marcos said, referring to the ongoing regional disputes.
“We have to protect our sovereign, our sovereign rights, and our sovereignty, so it serves the purpose that we define closely what those boundaries are,” he added in a chance interview on Tuesday.
President Marcos’ remarks come shortly after the Chinese government reiterated its opposition to the Philippines’ new maritime laws while declaring Beijing’s “baselines” for the territorial sea near Scarborough Shoal.
China’s foreign ministry accused Manila of reinforcing an “illegal arbitral award” regarding the South China Sea through domestic legislation, following President Marcos’ enactment of twin laws that defined the Philippines’ maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes and air routes to assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea.
Last week, Mr. Marcos signed two key laws aimed at strengthening the Philippines’ maritime rights: the Philippine Maritime Zones (PMZ) Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes (PASL) Act.
The PMZ law establishes the legal boundaries of the Philippines’ maritime zones, aligning them with international law to protect the country’s territorial waters, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and continental shelf.
This act is seen as a crucial step in asserting the Philippines’ jurisdiction over its waters amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The PASL law designates specific sea lanes for foreign vessels to navigate through Philippine archipelagic waters.
The legislation aims to safeguard maritime security while ensuring freedom of navigation in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The law allows the Philippines to control transit within its archipelagic waters and provides a framework for handling foreign vessels passing through designated routes.
President Marcos highlighted these new laws as tools for bolstering the Philippines’ sovereignty and security amid rising tensions in the maritime region.
The Philippine government consistently protested Chinese incursions, including recent maneuvers perceived as encroaching on the country’s territorial waters.
