FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
SENATE BILL NO. 2 2 1. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
As a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, or the UNCLOS, 
the Philippines is committed to carry out its obligations in conformity with the principles of 
international law. In relation to this, there is a need to amend the existing baselines laws 
defining the Philippine Archipelago which was delineated under Republic Act No. 3046, An Act 
to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines, as amended by Republic Act No. 
5445. 
UNCLOS, which took effect on November 1994, recognizes and protects the rights of 
archipelagic states which are constituted “wholly by one or more archipelagos and may include 
other islands.” Under Article 47 such that “archipelagic Stute may draw straight archipelagic 
baselines joining the outermost points of the outermost islands and drying reefs of 
the 
archipelago provided that within such baselines are included the main islands and an area in 
which the ratio of the area of the water to the area of the land, including atolls, is between 1 to I 
and9to 1.” 
Furthermore, the same article provides that “the length of such baselines shall not exceed 
100 nautical miles, except that up to 3 per cent ofthe total number of baselines enclosing any 
archipelago may exceed that length, up to a maximum length of 125 nautical miles.” 
With respect to the entitlements of an archipelagic state to other bodies of water, it must 
be noted that under Article 48 of the Convention, “the breadth of the territorial sea, the 
contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf shall be measured ?om 
archipelagic baselines drawn in accordance with Article 47.” 
The bill therefore seeks to establish the archipelagic baselines of the Philippines in 
accordance with the provisions of UNCLOS, not only to enable us to defend, protect and 
preserve our own national territory but also to signify the Philippines’ strong commitment to 
adhere to the tenets of the international law of the seas. 
With respect to our sovereignty over the Kalayaan Group of Islands under Presidential 
Decree No. 1596, this proposed measure reiterates our claim considering that such group of 
islands, under Article 21 of UNCLOS, is considered and categorized as a “regime of islands”. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
SENATE BILL NO. :j 2 1 
Be it enacted by the Senate ofthe Philippines and the House of Representatives and in Congress 
assern bled: 
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Republic Act No. 3046, entitled “An Act to Define the 
Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines”, as amended by Section 1 of Republic Act No. 
5446, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“Section 1. The archipelagic baselines of the Philippine Archipelago shall be 
measured from basepoints that are hereby defined and described specifically as 
follows: 


2 


3 
SECTION 2. The Kalayaan Island Group, declared as belonging and subject to the 
sovereignty of the Philippines under Presidential Decree No. 1596, shall be considered as a 
“regime of islands” under Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 
SECTION 3. This Act shall be without prejudice to Philippine dominion and sovereignty 
over all portions of the national territory as defined under Article 1 of the Constitution of the 
Republic of the Philippines and by applicable laws. 
SECTION 4. If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or 
invalid, the other portions or provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to 
be in full force and effect. 
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen days following its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in any two newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,