Recent exchanges between former ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐จ, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ and a journalist ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ during a segment of Kapihan sa Manila Bay have drawn attention to a fundamental legal question: ๐ผ๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ,โ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ก๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค?
The term โ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌโ refers to a land-based system used in property law to describe private parcels of land, and some have argued that this framework should apply in defining an ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ (๐๐๐).
However, maritime zones are not determined through land survey systems. They are defined under the ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐๐๐), which relies on geographic coordinates, baselines, and maritime entitlementsโnot metes and bounds. What is officially deposited with the ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ are precise coordinates that establish ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ณ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ. A map may serve as a visual reference, but the controlling legal basis is the set of coordinates recognized under ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ.
