MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 29 NAMING THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 1599 (1978) established the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines extending to a distance of two hundred nautical miles from the baselines of the Philippine archipelago; WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9522 (2009), or the Baselines Law, specifically defined and described the baselines of the Philippine archipelago; WHEREAS, the Philippines exercises sovereign rights under the principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to explore and exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources, whether living or non-living, both renewable and non-renewable, of the sea-bed, including the subsoil and the adjacent waters, and to conduct other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of its maritime domain, such as the production of energy from the water, currents and winds; WHEREAS, the Philippines exercises sovereign jurisdiction in its EEZ with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures; marine scientific research; protection and preservation of the marine environment; and other rights and duties provided for in UNCLOS; and WHEREAS, in the exercise of sovereign jurisdiction, the Philippines has the inherent power and right to designate its maritime areas with appropriate nomenclature for purposes of the national mapping system.
MALACAAN PALACEMANILABY THE PRESIDENT OF THE
PHILIPPINESADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 29NAMING THE WEST PHILIPPINE
SEA OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSESWHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 1599 (1978) established
the Exclsi!e Econo"ic #one (EE#) o$ the Phili%%ines extendin&
to a distance o$ t'o hndred natical "iles $ro" the baselines o$ the
Phili%%ine archi%ela&o(WHEREAS, )e%blic Act No. 95** (*++9), or
the -aselines La', s%eci$icall. de$ined and described the baselines
o$ the Phili%%ine archi%ela&o(WHEREAS, the Phili%%ines
exercises so!erei&n ri&hts nder the %rinci%les o$
international la', incldin& the 198* /nited Nations 0on!ention
on the La' o$ the 1ea (/N0L21), to ex%lore andex%loit, conser!e and
"ana&e the natral resorces, 'hether li!in& or
non3li!in&, both rene'ableand non3rene'able, o$ the sea3bed,
incldin& the sbsoil and the ad4acent 'aters, and to condct
other acti!ities $or the econo"ic ex%loitation and ex%loration o$
its "ariti"e do"ain, sch as the %rodction o$ ener&. $ro" the
'ater, crrents and 'inds(WHEREAS, the Phili%%ines exercises
so!erei&n 4risdiction in its EE# 'ith re&ard to the
establish"ent and se o$ arti$icial islands, installations and
strctres( "arine scienti$ic research(%rotection and %reser!ation o$
the "arine en!iron"ent( and other ri&hts and dties %ro!ided $or
in /N0L21( andWHEREAS, in the exercise o$ so!erei&n
4risdiction, the Phili%%ines has the inherent %o'er andri&ht to
desi&nate its "ariti"e areas 'ith a%%ro%riate no"enclatre $or
%r%oses o$ the national "a%%in& s.ste".NOW, THEREFORE, I,
BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President o$ the Phili%%ines, b. !irte o$the
%o'ers !ested in "e b. the 0onstittion and b. la', do hereb.
order5Sect!" #. 6he "ariti"e areas on the 'estern side o$ the
Phili%%ine archi%ela&o are hereb. na"ed as the 7est Phili%%ine
1ea. 6hese areas inclde the L8on 1ea as 'ell as the 'aters arond,
'ithin and ad4acent to the 9ala.aan Island :ro% and -a4o De
Masinloc, also ;no'n as 1carboro&h 1hoal.Sect!" 2. 6he
na"in& o$ the 7est Phili%%ine 1ea is 'ithot %re4dice to the
deter"ination o$ the "ariti"e do"ain o!er territories 'hich the
)e%blic o$ the Phili%%ines has so!erei&nt. and
4risdiction.Sect!" $. 6he National Ma%%in& and )esorce
In$or"ation Athorit. (NAM)IA) shall %rodceand %blish charts and
"a%s o$ the Phili%%ines re$lectin& the 7est Phili%%ine 1ea in
accordance 'ith this 2rder.Sect!" %. 6he Phili%%ine :o!ern"ent,
thro&h the De%art"ent o$
