President Ferdinand Marcos signed on Friday (November 8) the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, two landmark measures that re-affirmed the country’s sovereignty and economic rights in the disputed West Philippine Sea.

The signing came after over two decades since the two vital measures were first filed in the House of Representatives and later in the Senate.

In the presence of members of the two legislative chambers and key officials of the executive department, Marcos signed Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and RA 12065 or the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law.

Marcos said the signing of the two new laws demonstrates the country’s commitment as a responsible member of the international community and advocacy to uphold rules-based international order.

The chief executive stressed that the laws signal the government’s firm resolve to protect the country’s maritime resources, preserve its rich biodiversity and ensure that Philippine waters remain a source of life and livelihood for all Filipinos.

“With these pieces of legislation, we align our domestic laws with international law, specifically the UN Conventions on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS to improve our capacity for governance and reinforce our maritime policies for economic development and for national security,” he said.

The Philippine Maritime Zones Act or RA 12064 aims to declare the rights and entitlements of the Philippines over its maritime zones to establish legal bases for the conduct of social, economic, commercial, and other activities in the areas.

On the other hand, Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act or RA 12065 designates the sea lanes and air routes suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircraft through or over its archipelagic water and the adjacent territorial sea.

RA 12065 was signed to prevent arbitrary international passage in the Philippine archipelago.

The late Cebu Rep. Antonio V. Cuenco championed the passage of the two laws which he filed at the start of his long tenure as congressman. . He later chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs but still failed to get the needed bipartisan support to have the measures approved on the floor.

Authors of the latest version of the legislative proposals include Reps. Bianca D. Tolentino (Tagaytay City); Rosanna “Ria” Vergara (Nueva Ecija); Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Miguel Luis R. Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City); Ma. Rachel Arenas (Pangasinan) and Nicolas Enciso VIII.

Senators who authored the enacted two measures were

Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino; Joel Villanueva, Win Gatchalian, Raffy Tulfo and Aquilino Pimentel III.