By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
The Philippines has deposited its official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc and its surrounding maritime zones with the United Nations Secretariat, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.
In a statement, the agency said the move marks yet another important milestone in the country’s continuing efforts to uphold international law and reinforce the legal certainty of its maritime entitlements.
The deposit was made pursuant to Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires coastal states to give due publicity to official charts or lists of geographical coordinates showing the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
“By placing the chart on deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Philippines ensures that its official maritime information forms part of the public international record,” the DFA said.
Bajo de Masinloc is an atoll that has long formed an integral part of Philippine territory.
The feature generates a territorial sea extending up to 12 nautical miles from its normal baselines and a contiguous zone extending from 12 to 24 nautical miles as stated in Sections 2(b), 5, and 6 of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act; Articles 3, 33 and 121 of UNCLOS, as well as the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
By depositing the chart, the DFA said Manila formally notifies the international community of its normal baselines and the geographic extent of its applicable authority and jurisdiction at Bajo de Masinloc.
The deposit, it said, strengthens transparency and legal certainty by making the Philippines’ official hydrographic information publicly available through the UN in accordance with UNCLOS.
“The deposit also carries particular significance in the face of climate change and sea-level rise. As coastlines and marine environments evolve, the preservation of official nautical charts and baseline information with the UN contributes to a permanent and internationally recognized legal record of maritime entitlements established in accordance with international law,” it said.
“The Philippines remains firmly committed to the rule of law, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the primacy of UNCLOS as the comprehensive legal framework governing all activities in the oceans and seas,” it added.
The Philippine delegation was led by Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Enrique Manalo, who formally presented National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) Chart No. 1567, entitled “Bajo de Masinloc and Approach” to Alice Hicuburundi, Deputy Director of the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
Manalo was joined by NAMRIA Administrator Usec. Peter Tiangco, together with senior officials and legal experts from the DFA, Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, NAMRIA, and the University of the Philippines.
