The national government is looking to adopt a “whole-of-society approach” to discuss and strategize the exploration and potential development of deep seabed mining in the country as part of the efforts to prioritize the use of renewable energy from minerals.
In a report by GMA News Online, Department of Foreign Affairs acting Secretary Charles Jose said that the “whole-of-society approach” would tackle the matters and come up with a holistic strategy for the exploration and development of the country’s seabed.
During the International Seabed Authority (ISA) workshop, DFA noted that the examples it cited that examples of the international seabed are adjacent to the Philippines. These include the eastern front from the Pacific Ocean, where the country’s continental shelf extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, and has an extended continental shelf reaching 320 nautical miles from the baselines of Luzon, or the Philippine Rise.
ISA is an autonomous international organization under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is responsible for organizing and regulating all mineral-related activities in the international seabed, that go beyond the jurisdiction of any country.