The Philippines is ready to engage in talks with Vietnam regarding its another claim on maritime entitlement in parts of the South China Sea.
While the Philippines is affirming its own claim to its extended continental shelf in Western Palawan, the government said it also recognizes Vietnam's rights.
"Nevertheless, we acknowledge Viet Nam’s right, as a coastal state like the Philippines, to submit information to establish the outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the relevant and lawful baselines from which its territorial sea is measured, as provided for under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Thursday, July 18.
"We are ready to engage Vietnam on possible ways forward that would help achieve a mutually beneficial solution to South China Sea issues, in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS," it added.
On Wednesday, July 17, Vietnam presented the submission of its extended continental shelf, saying doing so is its exercise of the rights and obligations of States Parties to UNCLOS.
Meanwhile, the Philippines already made an official submission to the United Nations last week on its entitlement to an extended continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea.
Manila's move was in line with the Article 76 of UNCLOS, which states that a coastal State such as the Philippines is entitled to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas extending beyond 200 nautical miles (NM) but not to exceed 350 NM from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
The continental shelf, according to UNCLOS, comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin.
It's the coastal state that shall establish the outer edge wherever the margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
During its submission, DFA said the agency had long prepared for such, but it came after the government completed this comprehensive technical and scientific study of our continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea, and with the clearance support of the President.
"In fact we mentioned in our Philippine (Benham) Rise submission in 2009 that we reserved our right to make further submissions to the west. It was a long inter-agency process that involved deliberate and intensive scientific research and review," DFA said.
The National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (NAMRIA) led the Extended Continental Shelf Technical Working Group (ECS-TWG) that worked on the submission for over a decade and a half.