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Sotto champions maritime rights: Senate President Vicente Sotto III calls for the immediate passage of Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2289 or the Maritime Zones Act, to preserve and protect the Philippines’ sovereign rights to carry out marine and maritime activities in the disputed waters. During the virtual hearing of the Committee on Foreign Relations on proposals seeking to define the Philippines’ maritime zones Monday, December 6, 2021, Sotto explained the salient points of SBN 2289, among which are: to declare and define the maritime zone under the jurisdiction of the Philippines; to preclude any unwarranted and undesirable disputes involving maritime areas; and to provide for the necessary flexibility in the passage of subsequent laws pertinent to the rights and obligations, to which the Philippines is entitled and may exercise over its maritime resources. Sotto added that most of the provisions of SBN 2289, which he and Sen. Ping Lacson authored, are “just reiterations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” “I hope that after today’s hearing, the committee would immediately come out with their report and bring it to the plenary,” the Senate President said. (Screen grab/ Senate PRIB)