“A triumph for Philippine sovereignty!”

This was how Senate Majority Leader Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino described the submission by the Philippine government of the ‘Talampas ng Pilipinas’ chart to the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

Tolentino said the move signifies a “breakthrough in the country’s continuing campaign to consolidate global recognition of its maritime rights and entitlements under international law.”

“This is a major step towards securing our exclusive rights to the Talampas ng Pilipinas and its vast mineral resources,” the senator stressed.

The ‘Talampas ng Pilipinas’ is enshrined under Section 8 of the Philippine Maritime Zones Law (Republic Act 10264) principally authored by Tolentino.

*It should be remembered that it was Tolentino himself who renamed ‘Talampas ng Pilipinas’ from its original name ‘Benham Rise” under the landmark measure.

The ‘Tolentino Law’ defines the resource-rich region as part of the country’s extended continental shelf, where the Philippines “exercises sovereign rights to explore and exploit the mineral, petroleum and nonliving resources of the seabed and subsoil.”

It also accords the Philippines the “jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures on the seabed, marine scientific research, drilling and tunneling, and other rights as provided for in accordance with the UNCLOS.”

“The Talampas ng Pilipinas is our legacy and gift to the youth and succeeding generations of Filipinos. It ensures a bright and promising future for our country,” noted Tolentino, the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones.

“I thank the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Mission to the UN, NAMRIA – Hydrography Branch, and everyone who contributed to this initiative,” he concluded.

The ISA is an intergovernmental body mandated to regulate all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area, in compliance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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