Bill establishing PH archipelagic sea lanes gets final House nod

MANILA – The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading a bill establishing the archipelagic sea lanes (ASLs) in the Philippine archipelagic waters.

With 186 affirmative votes, the chamber approved House Bill 10814, or the proposed Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which aims to prevent arbitrary international passage in the Philippine archipelago.

The bill provides the coordinates designating the sea lanes and air routes suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircraft through or over its archipelagic water and the adjacent territorial sea.

It also prescribes the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircraft exercising the right of archipelagic sea lanes passage through the established Philippine ASLs.

Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said the bill is consistent with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which the Philippines is a signatory.

Citing the UNCLOs, Rodriguez said the state, "having regard to the safety of navigation", may require foreign ships exercising the right of innocent passage through its territorial sea to use such sea lanes and traffic separation schemes for the regulation of the passage of ships.

"The UNCLOS also provides for other rights that a country has in its sea lanes. As such, it is very important that the Philippines establishes its sea lanes in order to be able to fully benefit from the provisions of the UNCLOS," he said.

The President shall be mandated to issue rules and regulations relating to the management and security of the ASLs and adjacent archipelagic waters.

It penalizes non-compliance with the provisions of the proposed law, and with existing fisheries, environmental, customs, fiscal, immigration, sanitary, and other pertinent laws. (PNA)

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