Article I THE NATIONAL

TERRITORY
The national territory of the Philippines comprises:
1) the Philippine archipelago;
2) all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction
PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO that body of water studded with islands which is delineated in the
Treaty of Paris (1898), as amended by the Treaty of Washington (1900) and the Treaty with
Great Britain (1930).
consists of its
a) Terrestrial
b) Fluvial
c) Aerial domains
including its
a) Territorial sea
b) The seabed
c) The subsoil
d) The insular shelves; and
e) The other submarine areas
INTERNAL WATERS the waters Around, Between and Connecting the islands of the
archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions
ALL OTHER TERRITORIES OVER WHICH THE PHILIPPINES HAS SOVEREIGNTY OR
JURISDICTIONincludes any territory that presently belongs or might in the future belong to the
Philippines through any of the accepted international modes of acquiring territory.

ARCHIPELAGIC PRINCIPLE
Two elements:
1. The definition of internal waters (supra);
2. The straight baseline method of delineating the territorial sea consists of drawing straight
lines connecting the outermost points on the coast without departing to any appreciable extent
from the general direction of the coast.
Important distances with respect to the waters around the Philippines
-Territorial Sea 12 nautical miles (n.m.)
-Contiguous Zone 12 n.m. from the edge of the territorial sea
-Exclusive Economic Zone 200 n.m. from the baseline
[includes T.S. and C.Z.]
NOTE: There can be a Continental Shelf without an EEZ, but not an EEZ without a Continental
Shelf.

TERRITORIAL SEA
The belt of the sea located between the coast and internal waters of the coastal state on the one
hand, and the high seas on the other, extending up to 12 nautical miles from the low water mark.

CONTIGUOUS ZONE
Extends up to 12 nautical miles from the territorial sea. Although not part of the territory, the
coastal State may exercise jurisdiction to prevent infringement of customs, fiscal, immigration or
sanitary laws.

EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE

Body of water extending up to 200 nautical miles, within which the state may exercise sovereign
rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources
The state in the EEZ exercises jurisdiction with regard to:
1. the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures;
2. marine scientific research;
3. the protection and preservation of marine environment;
--batasnatin.com