West PH Sea: PH reaffirms Unclos pledge on convention’s 42nd anniversary

This photo taken on February 15, 2024, shows an aerial view of Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.  FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government reaffirmed on Tuesday its dedication to upholding the provisions and principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), coinciding with the 42nd anniversary of the convention.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conveyed the nation’s message of support, highlighting the Philippines’ “profound commitment” to the convention.

“The country’s commitment has been manifested in concrete actions. From being one of the first to sign and ratify the Convention, the Philippines has continued to align its domestic legal framework with Unclos through the enactment of the Philippine Baselines Act, and more recently the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act,” said the DFA in a statement.

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“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,” it added.

The DFA stated that Unclos remains the cornerstone of a peaceful and prosperous maritime domain, emphasizing that the Philippines takes immense pride in its contributions to the negotiation and promotion of the convention.

In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s assertions over the West Philippine Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.

READ: Uphold Unclos to ensure peace, stability in South China Sea — DFA

The arbitral tribunal ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines in 2016.

Despite this ruling, Chinese maritime assets continue to swarm the area and assert aggression within the territory.

In line with this, the DFA said the Philippine government adhered to Unclos’ dispute resolution mechanisms through the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration, underscoring that “claims exceeding geographic and substantive limits of maritime entitlements under Unclos are without legal effect.”

“We continue to call for compliance with the 2016 Arbitral Award, and we appreciate the growing acknowledgment of the Award as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law,” said the DFA.