1935  Cons*tu*on  

 The  Philippines  comprises  all  the  territory  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris  concluded  between  the   United   States   and   Spain   on   the   tenth   day   of  December,   eighteen   hundred   and   ninety-­‐eight,   the  limits   which   are   set   forth   in   Ar>cle   III   of   said   treaty,  together   with   all   the   islands   embraced   in   the   treaty  concluded   at   Washington   between   the   United   States  and  Spain  on   the   seventh  day  of  November,  nineteen  hundred,  and  the  treaty  concluded  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  on  the  second  day  of  January,  nineteen   hundred   and   thirty,   and   all   territory   over  which   the   present   Government   of   the   Philippine  Islands  exercises  jurisdic>on.        

1973  Cons*tu*on  

  The   na>onal   territory   comprises   the   Philippine  archipelago,   with   all   the   islands   and   waters  embraced   therein,   and   all   the   other   territories  belonging  to  the  Philippines  by  historic  right  or   legal  >tle,   including   the   territorial   sea,   the   airspace,   the  subsoil,  the  seabed,  the  insular  shelves  and  the  other  submarine   areas   over   which   the   Philippines   has  sovereignty   or   jurisdic>on.   The   waters   around,  between   and   connec>ng   the   islands   of   the  archipelago,   irrespec>ve   or   their   breadth   and  dimensions,   form   part   of   the   internal  waters   of   the  Philippines.          

1987  Cons*tu*on  

  The   na>onal   territory   comprises   the   Philippine  archipelago,   with   all   the   islands   and   waters  embraced   therein,   and   all   the   other   territories  over   which   the   Philippines   has   sovereignty   or  jurisdic>on,  consis>ng  of  its  terrestrial,  fluvial  and  aerial   domains,   including   its   territorial   sea,   the  seabed,   the   subsoil,   the   insular   shelves,   and  other   submarine   areas.   The   waters   around,  between,   and   connec>ng   the   islands   of   the  archipelago,   regardless   of   their   breadth   and  dimensions,   form   part   of   the   internal   waters   of  the  Philippines.          

RA  5446  (1968  Baseline  Law)  

•  The   defini>on   of   the   baselines   of   the  territorial  sea  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago  as   provided   in   this   Act   without   prejudice  to   the   delinea>on  of   the   baselines   of   the  territorial   sea   around   the   territory   of  Sabah,   over   which   the   Philippines   has  acquired    dominion  and  sovereignty.          

Old  Philippine  Baseline  Law  

  Republic   Act   No.   3046,   “An   Act   to   Define   the   Baselines   of   the  Territorial  Sea  of  the  Philippines”  (17  June  1961),  as  amended  by  Republic   Act   No.   5446,   “An   Act   to   Define   the   Baselines   of   the  Territorial  Sea  of  the  Philippines”  (18  September  1968)  

 •  All   the   waters   around,   between   and   connec>ng   the   various  

islands  of  the  Philippine  archipelago,  irrespec>ve  of  their  width  or  dimension   [are]   necessary   appurtenances   of   the   land   territory,  forming  part  of  the  inland  or  internal  waters  of  the  Philippines.  

•  In  addi>on,  “all   the  waters  beyond  the  outermost   islands  of   the  archipelago,  but  within  the  limits  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris  comprise  the  territorial  sea  of  the  Philippines”.  

•  Finally,   this   statute   indicates   that   the   baselines   will   consist   of  straight  lines  joining  appropriate  points  of  the  outermost  islands  of  the  archipelago.      

Other  Relevant  Marcos  Issuances  

•  Presiden>al   Proclama>on   No.   370,   declaring  as   subject   to   the   jurisdic>on   and   control   of  the  Republic  of  the  Philippines  all  mineral  and  other   natural   resources   in   the   con>nental  shelf.  (March  20,  1968)  

 •  Presiden>al  Decree  No.   1599,   establishing   an  Exclusive   Economic   Zone   and   for   other  purposes.  (June  11,  1978)  

Kalayaan  Islands  Group  

Presiden>al  Decree  No.  1596,  declaring  certain  part  of  the  Philippine  territory  and  providing  for  their  government  and  administra>on.  (June  11,  1978)    •  Whereas,  by   reason  of   their  proximity   the  cluster  of   islands  and   islets   in  

the  South  China  Sea  situated  within  the  following:  Kalayaan  Island  Groups  are  vital  to  the  security  and  economic  survival  of  the  Philippines;  

•  Whereas,  much  of  the  above  area  is  part  of  the  con>nental  margin  of  the  Philippine  archipelago;  

•  Whereas,  these  areas  do  not  legally  belong  to  any  state  or  na>on  but,  by  reason   of   history,   indispensable   need,   and   effec>ve   occupa>on   and  control   established   in   accordance  with   the   interna>onal   law,   such   areas  must   now   deemed   to     belong   and   subject     to   the   sovereignty   of   the  Philippines;  

•  Whereas,  while  other  states  have  laid  claims  to  some  of  these  areas,  their  claims  have   lapsed  by  abandonment  and  cannot  prevail  over   that  of   the  Philippines  on  legal,  historical,  and  equitable  grounds.    

RA  9522  (2008  Baseline  Law)    •  Iden>cal  baseline  with  1961  Baseline  Law  (RA  5446)    •  The  Kalayaan  Island  Group  declared  as  belonging  and  subject  to  the  

sovereignty  of  the  Philippines  under  Presiden>al  Decree  No.  1596,  and   the   Scarborough   Shoal,   over   which   the   Philippines   exercises  sovereignty   and   jurisdic>on,   shall   be   considered   as   “regime   of  islands”  of  the  Republic  of  the  Philippines  under  Ar>cle  121  of  the  United  Na>ons  Conven>on  on  the  Law  of  the  Sea  (UNCLOS).  

 •  This   act   shall   be   without   prejudice   to   Philippine   dominion   and  

sovereignty   over   all   por>ons   of   the   na>onal   territory   as   defined  under  Ar>cle  1  of  the  Cons>tu>on  of  the  Republic  of  the  Philippines  and  by  applicable  law.    

UNCLOS  

•  Ra>fied  by  the  Philippines  in  August  1983    •  An   archipelagic   state   may   draw   straight  archipelagic   baselines   joining   the   outermost  points  of   the  outermost   islands  and  drying   reefs  of  the  archipelago.  (Art.  47,  Sec.  1,  UNCLOS)  

 •  The  drawing  of  such  baselines  shall  not  depart  to  any   appreciable   extent   from   the   general  configura>on  of  the  archipelago.  (Art.  47,  Sec.  3,  UNCLOS)  

UNCLOS  

•  The   waters   within   the   baselines   shall   be   considered  internal  waters;  

 •  Territorial   waters   –   12   nau>cal   miles   from   the  baselines;  

 •  Con>guous   Zone   –   24   nau>cal   miles   from   the  baselines;  

 •  Exclusive   Economic   Zone   -­‐-­‐     200   nau>cal   miles   from  the  baselines.  

Magallona  vs.  Ermita  G.R.  No.  187167,  July  16,  2011  

•  UNCLOS   III   and   its   ancillary   baselines   laws   play   no   role   in  the   acquisi>on,   enlargement   or,   as   pe>>oners   claim,  diminu>on  of  territory.  Under  tradi>onal   interna>onal   law  typology,   States   acquire   territory   through   occupa>on,  accre>on,   cession   and   prescrip>on,   not   by   execu>ng  mul>lateral  trea>es  on  the  regula>ons  of  sea-­‐use  rights  or  enac>ng   statutes   to   comply   with   the   treaty’s   terms   to  delimit  mari>me  zones  and  con>nental  shelves.  Territorial  claims   to   land   features   are   outside   UNCLOS   III,   and   are  instead  governed  by  the  rules  on  general  interna>onal  law.  

 •  UNCLOS  III  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  acquisi>on  (or   loss)  

of   territory.   It   is   a   mul>lateral   treaty   regula>ng,   among  others,  sea-­‐use  rights  over  mari>me  zones.