Archipelagic Doctrine
Archipelagic Doctrine
to
the
Philippine Archipelago,
irrespective
of
their
width
or
part of the
the
exclusive
lines
and
all
islands
and
waters
enclosed
within
the
of
an archipelago,
that
is,
the
territorial
integrity
of
the archipelago. Without it, there would be pockets of high seas between
some of our islands and islets, thus foreign vessels would be able to pass
through
these
pockets
of
seas
and
would
have
no
jurisdiction
over
considered
as
internal
waters.
of
our
armed
forces
to
protect
said
island
Despite the opposition of maritime powers, the Philippines and four other states (Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea, Fiji and Bahamas) got the approval in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea held in Jamaica
last December 10, 1982. They were qualified as archipelagic states. The archipelagic doctrine is now
incorporated in Chapter IV of the said convention. It legalizes the unity of land, water and people into a
single entity