Philippines asserts sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc at UN
Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York, delivered a strong statement asserting Philippine sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal at the United Nations.
“Bajo de Masinloc has always been an integral part of the territory of the Philippines. Only the Philippines, in the exercise of its sovereignty, has the right to establish baselines, and the breadth of the territorial sea around Bajo de Masinloc, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Lagdameo asserted before the United Nations General Assembly.
Lagdameo asserted that multilateralism is underwritten by a rules-based order governed by international law and informed by the principles of equity and justice, that safeguards the rights of all states, quoting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo.
He also stressed that the emergency facing the ocean is a reminder to uphold the rule of law, especially in addressing the drivers that apply pressure on it, such as disputes over access to resources and maritime boundaries.
Lagdameo stressed that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea constitute the foundation of the Philippines’ policy on the South China Sea.
He also cited the recent enactment of Philippine laws on maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes.
“In compliance with UNCLOS, the Philippines enacted this year two landmark laws: the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act. With these, we reinforce the alignment of our domestic laws with UNCLOS, improve our capacity for ocean governance, and enhance our maritime policies for economic development and for national security,” he said before the United Nations.
“China’s response, of announcing baselines around the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, situated off the western coast of Luzon Island, Philippines, and depositing with the UN Secretary General a Chart of baselines of territorial sea showing straight baselines and outer limits of the territorial sea, as well as a list of geographical coordinates of points in relation thereto, is a violation of UNCLOS and undermines the rules-based international order,” Lagdameo asserted at the United Nations.
He also reiterated the Philippines commitment to diplomacy and other peaceful means to settle disputes. “We abide by the UN Charter and the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Resolution of Disputes in asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea,” Lagdameo said.
The statement was delivered during the General Assembly’s debate on ‘Oceans and Law of the Sea’, the annual plenary agenda item that considers developments pertaining to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as those relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea. Department of Foreign Affairs
