FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
\ \  '{: 'vi-', 1 ' 
Senate Bill No. 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The country's foreign policy and maritime security is determined by its 
geography. The Philippines, being an Archipelagic State, is cradled, surrounded, 
and challenged by the sea. Though recognized as an Archipelagic State by the 
1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC), the Philippines has yet 
to settle and negotiate overlapping maritime jurisdictions under the LOSC. 
As a result, the Cabinet Committee on Maritime and Ocean Affairs 
(CABCOM-MOA) was created under Executive Order No. 738 in July 1984 as 
the Secretariat that worked on the necessary requirements and policies 
established in the Convention. 
In 1999, the Secretariat was renamed and reconstituted as the Maritime 
and Ocean Affairs Center (MOAC) by Executive Order No. 132. To cope with 
increased responsibilities and tasks, the functions of the CABCOM-MOA were 
transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) by Executive Order No. 37 
issued signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in September 2001. 
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) however regards 
MOAC only as an "activity" of the DFA and not as a regular attached agency with 
its own budget and staff. This has affected MOAC's current operations especially 
in terms of funding its projects and hiring needed staff. 
There is a need to give MOAC specific policy directives and to be 
equipped with adequate human resources and organizational capabilities. 
Moreover, it should be provided with sufficient financial resources and to be 
given fiscal flexibility to finance projects to meet the urgent requirements of the 
ocean and maritime interests of the country. 
Hence, the establishment of the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center as an 
attached agency of the DFA is sought for the promotion, protection, maintenance 
of national unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, maritime security, and 
sustainable and environmentally sound development of our country's ocean and 
maritime resources. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
Senate Bill No. 23132 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE MARITIME AND OCEAN AFFAIRS CENTER AS AN 
ATTACHED AGENCY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 
PROVIDING FOR ITS FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the Maritime and 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
Ocean Affairs Center Act of 2008. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the Philippines, as 
an archipelagic State, to promote, protect and maintain national unity, 
sovereignty, territorial integrity, maritime security, and a sustainable and 
environmentally sound development of ocean and marine resources within the 
framework of a National Marine policy. 
The National Marine Policy shall reflect the national marine interests within 
the context of international law and regime of the oceans, including the 1982 Law 
of the Sea Convention and other non-binding declarations to which the 
Philippines is a signatory. 
The State recognizes that marine resources and environment, including 
those of the oceans, all seas, archipelagic waters, and adjacent coastal areas 
form an integrated whole that are essential components of the national ocean 
economy and life-support system constituting vital assets for sustainable 
development. 
The State shall promote an integrated management and sustainable 
development of all coastal and marine areas within all its maritime jurisdictions, 
including the Exclusive Economic Zone and the extended continental shelf 
benefiting all stakeholders equitably. 
The State shall provide for an integrated policy and decision-making 
process, including comprehensive consultation mechanisms with public and 
private sectors, in order to achieve a rational, compatible and equitable use of 
the oceans. 
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SECTION 3. Responsibilities and Functions of the Department of 
Foreign Affairs on maritime and ocean affairs- The Department of Foreign 
Affairs shall have the primary responsibility in the conduct of ocean diplomacy 
and in providing information and advice in the formulation, updating and 
implementation of the National Marine policy. 
Affairs shall have the following functions: 
Pursuant to the foregoing responsibilities, the Department of Foreign 
a. Oversee and coordinate the implementation of the National Maritime 
Policy and periodically evaluate and update it as necessary; 
b. Formulate and recommend programs and special projects to enhance 
the integrated and coordinated management of maritime and ocean 
interests of the Philippines, particularly in: 
(1) The protection of the archipelago, including promotion of 
maritime security in relation to the national territory and 
maritime jurisdictions and the development of national 
capabilities to preserve and manage its maritime resources; 
(2) The prevention of the degradation of the marine environment 
and ocean resources through the proper management of 
human activities within its maritime jurisdiction; 
(3) The development and promotion of Philippine interests in 
shipping, seafaring, fisheries exploitation and extraction of 
mineral and energy resources, and other ocean-based 
industries; 
(4) Identify and 
develop 
policy 
options 
in 
implementing 
international agreements on the oceans, as well as non-binding 
instruments, to which the Philippines is a party or signatory; 
(5) Recommend policies, programs and special projects necessary 
to advance the national interest and fulfill international 
commitments relative to the sustainable use of ocean 
resources and marine scientific research; 
(6) Source foreign technical and other assistance for projects, in 
coordination with relevant agencies of the government on the 
small-scale use of marine resources by subsistence fishermen 
and their association to further improve methods of fishing, 
fish-farming, aqua-culture and marine-related studies which 
directly help them augment incomes while conserving 
resources and protecting the environment; 
(7) Formulated programs, coordinate and/or undertake activities to 
promote the archipelagic consciousness in the country. 
SECTION 4. 
Creation and functions of the Maritime and Ocean 
Affairs Center- The Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center is created as an 
attached agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs, hereafter known as the 
Center. 
The Center shall have the following functions and responsibilities: 
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a. Serve as the Secretariat to the Department of Foreign Affairs on 
maritime and ocean affairs and provide assistance and administrative 
support to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs with regard to maritime and 
ocean matters: 
b. Promote the development of national capabilities and institutions 
including human resources, for maritime an ocean affairs; 
c. Undertake the following: 
(1) Consultations with any government agency, 
concerned 
maritime and ocean sectors, non-government organization, 
academe, and/or the general public, on any maritime related 
matters as may be deemed necessary; 
(2) Research programs and policy studies on any and/or all 
maritime sectors as may be needed including those for 
regulatory, governmental, strategic, or maritime security 
purposes; 
(3) Initiate steps to harmonize and/or update domestic legislation 
and rules and regulations with international agreements or non- 
binding instruments to which the Philippines is a party; 
(4) Research, data gathering, information acquisition, and 
preparation for any negotiation or other modes of dispute 
settlement with other countries in matters concerning the 
delineationldelimitation of territorial and maritime boundaries, 
fisheries, energy and mineral exploration and exploitation in the 
ocean, or other agreements relating to the conservation, 
exploration, exploitation, protection, development, andlor 
management of marine resources within the archipelagic 
waters, territorial seas and exclusive economic zone as well as 
areas as adjacent to the latter. 
d. Create and maintain a central data-base on maritime and ocean 
affairs, as well as an ocean-charting and information-gathering system 
in the form of the MOAC-GIS, in support of maritime and ocean policy 
and decision-making and implementation; 
e. Identify, network with, and mobilize national and/or international 
expertise and institutions in support of or to assist the Government in 
maritime and ocean policy and decision-making and implementation; 
f. Undertake, or cause to be undertaken, activities necessary to raise the 
national archipelagic consciousness and communicate and publicize in 
a coordinated manner, national maritime and ocean interests and 
issues: 
g. Coordinate the participation of the appropriate agencies of government 
in international fora, meetings and conferences that are relevant to the 
maritime and ocean interest of the Philippines; 
h. Render a regular report to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, on all 
activities undertaken by the Center; 
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i. Source out an avail of grants, endowments or donations from foreign to 
local entities in accordance with existing laws to be applied to projects 
or programs and studies to implement the policies or directives of the 
Department of Foreign Affairs in connection with maritime and ocean 
affairs. 
SECTION 5. Organization of the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center 
a. Secretary General -to be appointed by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs 
from among the career Chiefs of Mission from the Department of Foreign 
Affairs will head the Center. For purposes of appropriate representation in 
the conduct of high-level international negotiations and conferences, the 
Secretary General shall be accorded the rank of Undersecretary or its 
equivalent as Vice-Minister. 
The Secretary General is hereby authorized to hire and determine 
remuneration of consultants and experts, as needed; 
The Secretary General is authorized to request and accept the detail and 
secondment of personnel from other government agencies, the academe, 
and other institutions in accordance with the Civil Service Law and rules 
and regulations; 
The Secretary General is authorized to draw up the staffing pattern and 
staff rules of the Center, together with a system of allowances and 
honoraria, for approval by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. 
b. Executive Director - with the rank of Director IV, shall be designated by 
the Secretary General, who shall serve as the Chief of Staff of the Center 
and provide supervision of the substantive workflow and administrative 
and day-to-day operations of the Center. 
c. The Center shall have the following initial Directorates, each fully staffed 
and headed by a Director to be designated by the Secretary General: 
I. 
II. 
111. 
IV. 
V. 
VI. 
VII. 
Directorate for Territorial and Other Maritime Jurisdictions, 
Archipelagic Sealanes, Sea-lines of Communication (SLOC’s), 
Marine Geodesy and Charting 
Directorate for Sea-bed Resources, International Sea-bed 
Authority, Extended Continental Shelf 
Directorate for Fisheries, Marine Environment Protection, 
Marine Scientific Research 
Directorate for 
Oceans 
Law and 
Policy, 
International 
Negotiations, International Dispute Settlement Procedures 
Directorate for Maritime Security, Anti-Piracy, Marine Pollution, 
MCS & VMS 
Directorate for Maritime and Ocean Information Resource and 
Conference Services 
Directorate for Administrative, Financial Management and 
Ocean Economy Studies 
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SECTION 6. Funding and Sourcing 
a. Subject to the usual auditing and accounting rules and regulations, the 
Center shall be provided with an initial appropriation of Twenty Million 
Pesos (P20,000,000.00) to be drawn from funds to be identified by the 
Department of Budget and Management. 
b. The Center is hereby authorized to find ways and means of undertaking 
projects with the associated financing, including, charges and fees for 
services in terms of subscriptions, the availment of loans from overseas 
and multilateral financial institutions and recourse to joint ventures on 
infrastructure projects under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme as 
authorized by R.A. 7718 for projects related to: 
1. Geodetic, hydrographic, and marine geological surveys for the 
systematic collection of basic information, including mapping and 
charting of the exclusive economic zones, and the extended 
continental shelf, in accordance with international hydrographic and 
geodetic standards, in order to meet the November 16, 2004 
deadline for the submission to the United Nations Commission on 
the Limits of the Continental Shelf to generate the required geodetic 
data and other geological information to be shown on official charts 
in compliance with Article 76 of the Law of the Sea Convention, and 
Article 4 of Annex II of the same convention; 
2. Hydrographic survey, electronic charting and delineation of 
archipelagic sealanes in compliance with Article 53 of the Law of 
the Sea Convention, together with the formulation of associated 
protective 
measures, 
including 
marine 
safety 
regulations, 
emplacement of navigational aids, rationalization of domestic ship 
routering, enforcement of traffic management, installation of 
pollution monitoring devices and metereological warning systems; 
3. Remote-sensing and laser-assisted Geomatics methods for rapid 
charting of coastal areas, Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas 
(PSSAs), including redefinition and delineation of municipal waters 
to harmonize these jurisdictions with maritime jurisdictions under 
the Law of the Sea Convention. 
4. Creation of the web-enabled Geographic Information System (GIS) 
as authorized under R.A. 8792, the Electronic Commerce Act, that 
would allow access to maps, charts, geologic data, information on 
fishing areas, protected areas and associated information by 
concerned agencies and the private sector; 
5. Design and implementation of the satellite-based Monitoring, 
Control and Surveillance (MOAC-MCS) and a Vessel Monitoring 
System (VMS) for use by all concerned agencies and the private 
sector for anti-piracy and anti-terrorism measures, prevention of 
illegal entry, search-and-rescue operations, safety of shipping and 
life at sea, fisheries management, and monitoring of sea-lanes and 
marine pollution. The systems shall operate on a subscription 
basis that ensures that each system pays for itself, including 
operational costs; security measures shall be undertaken to ensure 
integrity of data and the protection of encrypted and/or proprietary 
information. 
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6. Feasibility studies for the establishment of ocean-related industries 
as part of the ocean cluster. 
7. Marine 
research studies, 
preferably 
in 
cooperation, with 
international and regional institutions. 
SECTION 7. Transitory Provisions- Upon approval of this Act, the 
existing Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center at the Department of Foreign Affairs 
created under Executive Order 37 issued on 24 September 2001, shall be 
become the core of the Center created under this Act. The reorganization, hiring 
of additional personnel, consultants, and experts and re-location to suitable office 
premises and associated changes provided for in this Act, shall be undertaken 
expeditiously, based on a program of conversion, within six months from 
approval of this Act. 
The Department of the Budget and Management is hereby requested to 
release expeditiously to the Center the funds appropriated and authorized under 
this Act. 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause- All laws or parts of any law, executive 
orders of parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause- If any provision of this Act is held 
invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shall continue in operation. 
(15) days following its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
SECTION I O .  Effectivity Clause- This Act shall take effect after fifteen 
Approved,