ARCHIPELAGIC DOCTRINE
In various conferences of the United Nations on
the Law of the Sea, the Philippines and other
archipelago states proposed that an archipelagic state
composed of groups of islands forming a state is a single
unit, with the islands and the waters within the
baselines as internal waters. By this concept
(archipelagic doctrine), an archipelago shall be regarded
as a single unit, so that the waters around, between,
and connecting the islands of the archipelago,
irrespective of their breadth and dimensions, form part
of the internal waters of the state, subject to its
exclusive sovereignty. It is defined as all waters around,
between, and connecting different islands belonging to
the Philippine Archipelago, irrespective of their
ARCHIPELAGIC DOCTRINE width or dimension, are
necessary appurtenances of its land territory, forming
an integral part of the national or inland waters, subject
to the exclusive sovereignty of the Philippines. It is
found in the second sentence of Article 1 of the 1987
Constitution. 
ALIBATA
NEWS ARTICLES
● Local News
"To diversify crops, the Philippine government has
allocated P1.3 billion."
The Department of Agriculture is allocating an
initial P1.3 billion to help farmers diversify their crops in
light of the country's ongoing influx of imported rice,
according to a March 2020 article by Louise Maureen
Simeon in the philstar. 10 billion pesos have been
allocated by legislation for the Rice Competitiveness
Improvement Fund. Any surplus can be utilized to fund
crop insurance and crop diversification programs as well
as cash transfers. Helping farmers lessen their reliance
on a single crop, such as rice, is also an element of the
strategy and new thinking for agriculture. Experts also
asserted that crop diversification offers farmers a
variety of agricultural and economic advantages. In
addition to enhancing and breeding new crop kinds, it
increases plants' tolerance to a variety of environmental
factors. Crop diversification will help broaden farmers'
crop portfolios, reducing their reliance on a single crop
for revenue generation.  Lastly, The DA will make
arrangements for increased public and private
investment as well as offer technical guidance and
support to agribusiness on issues relating to
management, production, and research.
Reference:
https://www.philstar.com/business/agriculture/
2020/03/01/1997068/government-allots-p13-billion-
diversify-crops
● Global News
“First International Day Against Islamophobia is
observed by the UN”

The UN organized a special event in the General

Assembly Hall on Friday to honor the first-ever
International Day to Fight Islamophobia. Speakers
emphasized the importance of taking immediate action
in the face of the escalating anti-Muslim prejudice and
violence. In addition, Muslim women may experience
"triple discrimination" on account of their religion, race,
and gender. Csaba Krösi, the president of the UN
General Assembly, added to that by pointing out that
xenophobia, or the fear of foreigners is the basis of
Islamophobia and that it manifests itself in hate speech,
travel restrictions, bullying, and other forms of
discrimination. A Strategy and Plan of Action against
Hate Speech and the Our Common Agenda report,
which sets a framework for a more inclusive and secure
"digital future" for all people, are other policies that
have already been introduced. "To set up guardrails,
and enforce them," the UN is collaborating with
governments, regulators, technology companies, and
the media. "Discrimination weakens us all. And it is
incumbent on all of us to stand up against it. We must
never be spectators to bigotry," the UN says.

Reference:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134462