The Philippines has formally deposited its official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc and its surrounding maritime zones with the United Nations Secretariat on July 29, marking another important milestone in the country’s continuing efforts to uphold international law and reinforce the legal certainty of its maritime entitlements.

The deposit was made pursuant to Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires coastal States to give due publicity to official charts or lists of geographical coordinates showing the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. By placing the chart on deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Philippines ensures that its official maritime information forms part of the public international record.

The Philippine delegation was led by Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Enrique Manalo, who formally presented NAMRIA Chart No. 1567, entitled “Bajo de Masinloc and Approach” to Alice Hicuburundi, Deputy Director of the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS).

Prepared by NAMRIA using internationally recognized hydrographic and geodetic standards, the chart depicts the normal baselines of Bajo de Masinloc, together with the outer limits of its territorial sea and contiguous zone, in accordance with UNCLOS and Philippine law.

Bajo de Masinloc is an atoll that has long formed an integral part of Philippine territory. Pursuant to Sections 2(b), 5, and 6 of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, and consistent with Articles 3, 33, and 121 of UNCLOS, as well as the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, the feature generates a territorial sea extending up to 12 nautical miles from its normal baselines and a contiguous zone extending from 12 to 24 nautical miles.

By depositing the chart, the Philippines formally notifies the international community of its normal baselines and the geographic extent of its applicable authority and jurisdiction at Bajo de Masinloc.

The deposit also strengthens transparency and legal certainty by making the Philippines’ official hydrographic information publicly available through the United Nations in accordance with UNCLOS.

The deposit also carries particular significance in the face of climate change and sea-level rise. As coastlines and marine environments evolve, the preservation of official nautical charts and baseline information with the United Nations contributes to a permanent and internationally recognized legal record of maritime entitlements established in accordance with international law. Department of Foreign Affairs