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;
 What is the national territory of the Philippines?
A:
QUICK ANSWER
While the Philippines have claimed various territories throughout history, the country is one 300,000-square-kilometer
country that is entirely surrounded by water in Asia, as of 2015. The Philippines are bordered by the South China and
Philippines seas.

FULL ANSWER
Historically, the Philippines has tried to claim various islands in Asia, but many of these remain disputed with other
countries also claiming the territories. For example, both China and the Philippines claim ownership of Scarborough
Shoal, and Sabah's eastern territory is currently in dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia. As of 2015, the
Philippines occupies some features of the Spratly Islands, but they are not listed as part of the official national
territory.