Reflection Paper

Article 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that “The national territory comprises
of the Philippine Archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all
other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its
terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the sea bed, the subsoil,
the insular shells, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between and connecting
the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the
internal waters of the Philippines.”

It fascinates me that we have an article in our constitution stating the importance of our
territories. It simply saddens me that the Philippines and China are still at odds over the
West Sea. We are all aware that the West Philippine Sea is abundant in minerals, fishery
resources, marine resources, and other natural resources. That is why China is attempting
to take over the West Philippine Sea from us.

There is another territorial dispute at the UN, about the Benham Rise. The Philippines filed
a "partial territorial waters claim" with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the
Continental Shelf on April 8, 2009. The government also provided evidence, such as R.A.
9522, often known as the Archipelagic Baselines Law. In April of 2012, the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) decided to include the Philippines' territory,
The Benham Rise.
To conclude, I am extremely pleased that our country, the Philippines, would do everything
possible to ensure that we have the capacity to care for what belongs to our nation.