Section 8Sec./Art. 8

Continental Shelf and Extended Continental Shelf. - The continental shelf of the Philippines comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of two hundred (200) nautical miles from the baselines, where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance.

Where the continental shelf extends beyond two hundred (200) nautical miles from the baselines, the outer limits shall be delineated in accordance with Article 76 of the UNCLOS: Provided, That the limits of the continental shelf beyond two hundred (200) nautical miles in the Benham Rise Region, including the Philippine Rise, hereby renamed collectively as the Talampas ng Pilipinas, as submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and deposited to the United Nations Secretary General on July 02, 2012, are hereby incorporated into this Act: Provided, further, That this is without prejudice to the submission for an extended continental shelf in the West Palawan Region, and to the making of other submissions for other areas at a future time.

The Philippines exercises sovereign rights to explore and exploit the mineral, petroleum and nonliving resources of the seabed and subsoil and living organisms belonging to the sedentary species, as well as jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures on the seabed, marine scientific research, drilling and tunneling, and other rights as provided for in accordance with the UNCLOS, Philippine mining and petroleum laws, and other existing laws and treaties.