Sea lanes bill hurdles special committee
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
A SENATE bill seeking to establish Philippine sea lanes in the Balintang Channel, the Celebes and Sulu Seas, and other waterways has hurdled the Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones.
As tension heats up between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the South China Sea, Senator Francis N. Tolentino, the special committee chairman, was set on sponsoring the Committee Report of Senate Bill No. 2665 before the plenary on Monday.
The Committee Report, dated May 8, seeks to define Philippine Archipelagic Waters along the axis lines connecting the Philippine Sea, Balintang Channel and the South China Sea.
A second axis would fall within the Celebes Sea, Sibutu Passage, Sulu Sea, Cuyo East Pass, Mindoro Strait, and the South China Sea.
A third axis would lie within the Celebes Sea, Basilan Strait, Sulu Sea, Nasubata Channel, Balabac Strait and the South China Sea.
The measure also bars foreign ships and aircraft from conducting war games and other military exercises within the sea lanes.
“Foreign ships or aircraft shall refrain from any activity other than those incidental to continuous, expeditious and unobstructed transit unless rendered necessary by force majeure or by distress, in which case such shall be subject to Philippine approval, when appropriate,” read a copy of the bill.
Foreign civilian ships and aircraft that conduct unauthorized fishing, research, and unloading of goods within Philippine sea lanes would be liable to jail time of six months to two years or a fine of $1.2 million or both depending on a Philippine court’s ruling.
The master of the ship or the captain or the aircraft would face the penalties.
“It is hereby the declared policy of the state to ensure the protection of its maritime domain and to safeguard the sovereignty of the state and the integrity of national territory,” the bill stated.
