The Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which seeks to strengthen the country’s territorial integrity, would be enacted within this year, according to Senate President Francis Escudero.

Asked during a forum if he expects the bill to be enacted this year, Escudero said, “Yes”.

He said that the Philippine Maritime Zones bill, which seeks to define the country's maritime zones based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), was already sent to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for signing while the senators were still preparing a final copy of the Archipelagic Sea Lanes bill.

Both of these are priority measures under the Marcos administration.

“The Archipelagic Sea Lanes bill is in the process of being enrolled. Meaning to say, the bill is still being prepared for a final copy that will be signed by both the Speaker, the Senate president, and later on by the President,” Escudero said.

“This is the first piece of legislation that would enshrine the Philippines’ right, ownership, and sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea. The arbitral ruling given at the Hague has not been given any foreign recognition here in the Philippines which I have asked the Solicitor General to actually do. Because here in the Philippines, there is a legal process, called recognition of foreign judgments,” he said.

“So we seek to do that here in the Philippines as well in order to strengthen the legal basis of our claim, not really for international law purposes, but for purposes of domestic law. So that no president in the future can change this stance and policy of the Philippines with respect to the West Philippine Sea. That means to say, no President can trifle with this position or set it aside because, under our Constitution, the main function of a President is to execute our laws. This will now form part not only of the law of the land but of the case law if given foreign recognition of the judgment of law,” he added.

Escudero was a policy and framework bill and had no appropriations provision.

He said that the Senate would be approving eight more priority bills and would have another Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting on Wednesday before the Congress goes on break and resumes in November. Jaspearl Tan/DMS