The Senate special committee on maritime and admiralty zones is set to craft an updated version of the Philippine map as a response to China's 2023 standard map depicting the 10-dash line, Senator Francis 'Tol' Tolentino said on Wednesday, September 14.
In a press release, Tolentino said the panel, which he currently chairs, will start working on this once they convene in their first-ever hearing.
"Mga limang hearing ito kasi we are trying to craft our own map. So, this is a response to the 10-dash line," he said.
The Senator said the updated Philippine map would be based on his filed Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2294, or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act that laid out the encompass exclusive economic zones, continental shelf, and even the underground features that belong to the Philippines.
Tolentino noted that the Benham Rise, Philippine Rise would also serve as a basis in the new PH map.
"Iyon yung kabuuan, West Philippine Sea na tayo, ma-institutionalize na rin iyan. Ganon din naman sa Benham Rise yung minumungkahi ko na itawag na natin Talampas ng Pilipinas," Tolentino added.
Meanwhile, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan confirmed that the government would release a new standard map in the next coming days.
"Yes, we are seriously considering this, and we already have something in the works. The new map will conform in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and also to the 2016 Arbitral Award. And at the same time, it will possibly reflect the Benham Rise award which is the extended continental shelf on the eastern side of the country," he said told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.
Last August 28, China's Ministry of Natural Resources issued the 2023 standard map wherein a 10-dash line was drawn representing its territorial control over the South China Sea. The 10-dash-line covered the West Philippine Sea and the territory of other neighboring nations such as Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. had earlier said that the country would be responding to China's new standard map.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) first rejected the 2023 map and said China's attempt “to legitimize purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law."
