I am pleased to send herewith a copy of the “Primer” I prepared on “The Ocean Space or The Maritime Area of the Philippines (Including the Seabed and Subsoil and their Air Space under the Law of the Sea Convention [particularly Part IV], the Philippine Constitution and Relevant Laws)”.
The Primer is intended to inform of the maritime areas over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction, principally its territorial sea, the contiguous zone, its exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf. For convenient reference, the pertinent provisions of the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC), the Philippine Constitutions and relevant statutes are quoted.
Far too frequently opinions and views are expressed, not in accord even with explicit provisions of the LOSC. A recent example are views on the Benham Rise, a part of the extended continental shelf of the Philippines.
It was my privilege to have been a vice chairman of the Philippine delegation to the Law of the Sea Conference, initially in the Seabed Committee, which convened in 1968, and in the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, which convened in December 1973. The Law of the Sea Convention was adopted by the United Nations in 1982, and it entered into force in 1994.
Some observations are made on the Arbitral Award on the Philippine Claim of July 12, 2016, particularly in relation to the tensions in the South China Sea and how the administration of President Duterte is addressing its enforcement and overall relationship with China.
It is my hope that the Primer will contribute to a more enlightened and productive exchange of views in regard the problems facing the Philippines in protecting and enhancing its rights over the maritime areas over which it has sovereignty or jurisdiction.
Estelito P. Mendoza
source: Business Mirror
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