THE PHILIPPINE Senate plans to pass a priority bill seeking to establish Philippine maritime zones after it approves the 2024 national budget next month, a senator said on Monday, citing the need to fast-track the measure amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
“We have to pass this measure and the inclusion of the Philippine Rise in our territories is imperative, and the definition of the exclusive economic zones would need refinement,” Senator Francis N. Tolentino said at a Senate special committee hearing on maritime and admiralty zones.
He said fine-tuning and eventually approving the measure has become more urgent, following the recent collision of a Chinese vessel with private Philippine vessels trying to deliver supplies to Filipino troops at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, adding that establishing Philippine maritime zones is long overdue.
He said the measure must include provisions on what to do about other states building artificial structures in Philippine waters. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
