The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the cornerstone of peaceful dispute resolution, the rule of law, and a rules-based international order, particularly citing the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration.
Celebrating the 42nd anniversary of the adoption of the UNCLOS, the Philippines reasserted “its universal and unified character as the comprehensive legal framework for law and order,” highlighting the recent enactment of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act.
“As it upholds its lawful claim to its maritime entitlements, the Philippines has continued to engage coastal neighbors through discussions on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone, the continental shelf, and the extended continental shelf, measured from lawfully-drawn baselines where these maritime zones may overlap,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
The statement followed with an action plan to take an “active role” in advancing the archipelagic doctrine, especially in pursuit of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration, and collaborate with the international community anchored “on common interests in ocean protection, conservation, management and governance.”
“We continue to call for compliance with the 2016 Arbitral Award and we appreciate the growing acknowledgement of the Award as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law,” DFA expressed.
“Today, UNCLOS continues to serve as the cornerstone for a peaceful and prosperous maritime domain, where the rights and interests of all States are respected and protected,” it added.