President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed last Friday the Maritime Zones Law and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law to ''defend our maritime interests.''

RA 12064 sets the country's maritime jurisdiction and implements the 2016 Arbitral Award, which reaffirms Philippines sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in our waters, while invalidating China's historical claims in the South China Sea.

"By defining and asserting our maritime zones, we project to the international community that we are staunchly committed to nurturing, cultivating and protecting our maritime domain," Marcos said.

The Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law designates sea lanes and air routes within the country's territory, where foreign vessels and aircrafts can pass.

The three sea lanes are the Balintang Channel; the Sibutu; and the Celebes.

"These sea lanes will offer continuous, expeditious, and unobstructed transit for vessels and air transports, while obliging them to comply with navigational regulations and procedures, as well as with the air rules of flight safety and protocols," Marcos said.

In a press briefing in Malacanang last Friday, Senator Francis Tolentino said the laws will help grant international recognition to the country's maritime territory.

Once the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NMIRA) comes out with a new Philippine map and its maritime territory, Tolentino said the country will enforce its laws not only within its 12-nautical mile territorial sea, but in the WPS, which is the part of the South China Sea within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

" There will still be [tension] because the other side, China, is not recognizing this [law], but the recognition imprimatur that we will be getting from the international community would strengthen our position," Tolentino said.

National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Alexander Lopez said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is seeking more resources to enforce the two laws.

"We can actually implement that, but of course we need to come up with more [resources], so that?you can see how vast the sea that we have to guard," Lopez said. DMS