Philippines, Indonesia sign guidelines for continental shelf boundary

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Indonesia have signed the principles and guidelines that will lay the foundation for the delimitation of their continental shelf boundary, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

During his state visit to Jakarta last month, President Marcos and Indonesian President Joko Widodo discussed and identified the continental shelf boundary as a key priority of their respective governments.

The documents, titled “The Principles and Guidelines,” were simultaneously signed through a video conference by Assistant Secretary Maria Angela Ponce of the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office of the DFA and Ambassador Andreano Erwin, director for Legal Affairs and Territorial Treaties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Oct. 5.

Widodo appreciated the start of the negotiation and stated his desire to expedite it.

Both presidents reaffirmed that the negotiation of the continental shelf boundary delimitation would be carried out in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Foreign Ministers Enrique Manalo and his Indonesian counterpart Retno L.P. Marsudi also reaffirmed the negotiations of the continental shelf boundary between their countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month.

The Philippines and Indonesia are the two largest archipelagic states in the world. They concluded a landmark agreement delimiting their exclusive economic zones in 2014.

“The signing of the Principles and Guidelines marked an important step for the continental shelf boundary delimitation of the two countries as it reaffirms the provisions under UNCLOS 1982 as the basis of the delimitation process,” the DFA said.

Indonesia hosted the first meeting in Bali in July while Manila will host the next meeting in 2023.