MANILA. The Philippines has officially filed a claim with the United Nations for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the South China Sea, intensifying its ongoing maritime disputes with China.
“Today we secure our future by making a manifestation of our exclusive right to explore and exploit natural resources in our ECS entitlement,” stated Marshall Louis Alferez, the foreign ministry’s assistant secretary for maritime and ocean affairs.
China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, overlapping with claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. This strategic waterway, through which $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, as well as fish stocks.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s expansive claims have no legal basis, a decision that Beijing has continuously rejected.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the Philippines’ recent UN filing.
Confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels have escalated, with China’s coastguard employing aggressive tactics such as water cannon, collisions, and military-grade lasers, according to Manila. Additionally, an armada of Chinese fishing boats, considered by the Philippines and its allies to be a sea militia, complicates the situation further.
The Philippines aims to register its entitlement to an extended continental shelf in the West Palawan Region, which faces the South China Sea. This submission, sanctioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., follows an extensive technical and scientific study of the continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the South China Sea within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
Utilizing an entitlement under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Philippines seeks to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf, encompassing the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas up to 350 nautical miles from its baseline.
In 2012, the U.N. confirmed Benham Rise, located off the Philippines’ east coast and not contested by China, as part of the Philippines’ extended continental shelf.
This move underscores the Philippines’ determination to assert its maritime rights amidst the region’s complex geopolitical landscape.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
