Bill bans Chinese ships
A measure seeking to ban the entry of Chinese ships to the Philippine waters was filed in the House of Representatives.
Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez urged his colleagues in Congress to give House Bill 2465 a chance in a bid to protect the Philippine properties.
The bill also includes banning other foreign ships from encroaching on Philippine waters.
To date, the bill is pending with the House committee on foreign affairs.
He said the House had approved the measure in the last Congress but the Senate failed to pass it.
“I have refiled my bill and I urge Congress to approve it. No Chinese or any vessel should be allowed in our waters without our approval unless for innocent passage in the designated archipelagic sea lanes,” Rodriguez said.
Bill No. 2465 is titled, “An Act establishing the archipelagic sea lanes in the Philippine archipelagic waters, prescribing the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircraft exercising the right of archipelagic sea lane passage.”
Rodriguez said the proposed law would “penalize arbitrary passage by Chinese and other foreign ships and planes in our archipelagic waters and the adjacent territorial waters.
The bill sets the coordinates designating the sea lanes and air routes for the continuous and expeditious sailing or flight of foreign ships and aircraft exercising the right of innocent passage.
The vessels or planes shall not deviate more than 25 nautical miles from the designated passage routes. They shall not make any activity other than transiting expeditiously.
They shall not make any threat against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of the Philippines.
Transiting ships and planes shall be prohibited from conducting any oceanography or hydrographic survey or research activity unless permitted by the Philippine government.
