(PCG)

Bukidnon 2nd district Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores says the best option to restore freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is through the enactment of the Philippine Maritime Zones bill.

In a statement, Flores said this proposed measure will help foster international delimitation and fishing pacts between the Philippines and other countries surrounding the South China Sea (SCS).

“The Philippines has good relations with Brunei, Vietnam, and Malaysia, so we can have fishing and delimitation agreements with them,” he said.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have already approved their versions of the Maritime Zones bill. These are House Bill (HB) No. 7819 and Senate Bill (SB) No. 2492.

However, after both bills were found to have disagreeing provisions, a bicameral conference committee was created to address these concerns.

According to Flores, it will only be a “matter of weeks until that becomes law and can be used to boost prospects for new international agreements".

“Other than a super typhoon destroying those illegal structures on Panganiban Reef and dismantling the sea blockades in the West Philippine Sea, the best options for restoring freedom of navigation in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) are multinational naval-coast guard patrols and international agreements on fishing and delimitation in EEZ overlaps,” the lawmaker explained.

Flores pointed out that multinational naval-coast guard patrols can be the subject of international agreements, particularly in whose cargo, passenger, and fishing vessels navigate through the sea.

Under the Philippine Maritime Zones bill, it seeks to declare the rights of Filipinos over its EEZ, which include the WPS as well as underwater features in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

This measure aims to establish the country’s jurisdiction over the disputed waters based on international laws and rulings.

The bill is seen as a response to China’s continued aggression in the WPS and its blatant disregard for rule of law, such as the 2016 arbitral ruling that nullified their claim over the majority of the SCS.

With this, Flores said there is a need for international efforts to make necessary changes to existing maps.

The Bukidnon congressman explained that this  is so the WPS is “properly identified in those maps and delimitations in international agreements are properly marked in navigational maps".