National Territory of the Philippines—Geography, Treaties, and Historical Cartography

Physical Geography Referenced (Page 1)

• Principal bodies of water surrounding/within the archipelago
  • South China Sea (W)
  • Philippine Sea (E)
  • Sulu Sea (SW)
  • Sibuyan Sea (central)
  • Bohol Sea (S)
  • Moro Gulf (south of Mindanao)
  • Celebes Sea (far S)

• Major island groups (listed N➔S)
  • Luzon
  • Mindoro
  • Sibuyan (smaller, central)
  • Panay
  • Negros
  • Cebu
  • Bohol
  • Samar
  • Leyte
  • Mindanao (largest in south)
  • Palawan (western corridor)

• Notable physiographic high points (elevations in meters)
  • Mt. Pulog — $2922\;\text{m}$ (Luzon)
  • Mt. Katanglad — $2938\;\text{m}$ (Bukidnon, Mindanao)
  • Mt. Mantalingajan — $2085\;\text{m}$ (Palawan spine)
  • Mount Halcon — $2585\;\text{m}$ (Mindoro)
  • Mayon Volcano — $2462\;\text{m}$ (Albay, Luzon)

• Cartographic source: freeworldmaps.net (Physical Map URL given)

Article 1—Constitutional Definition of National Territory (Page 2)

• Comprehensive phrasing anchors modern Philippine territorial claim.
  • Covers the “Philippine archipelago” ➔ all islands/waters “embraced therein.”
  • Extends to “all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction.”

• Domains explicitly enumerated
  • Terrestrial (land), fluvial (river/stream), aerial (airspace).
  • Includes territorial sea, seabed, subsoil, insular shelves & other submarine areas.

• Internal‐waters doctrine
  • “Waters around, between, and connecting the islands … regardless of breadth & dimensions” are internal, i.e., treated like land for sovereignty/control—a rebuttal to the international strait regime.

• Significance
  • Affirms archipelagic principle later echoed in the 1982 UNCLOS “archipelagic states” provisions.
  • Serves as constitutional benchmark against which treaties, legislation, & executive actions are tested.

Historical Treaties & Legal Instruments Defining Boundaries

1898 Treaty of Paris (Page 3)

• Also called the “Treaty of Peace between the United States & Spain.”

• Signed $10\,\text{Dec}\,1898$; ratified $1899$.

• Provided the first internationally recognized coordinate lines bounding “the Philippine archipelago.”

• Limitations: several islands fell outside the polygon—subsequent ambiguity.

1900 Treaty of Washington (Page 4)

• Signed $7\,\text{Nov}\,1900$; effective $23\,\text{Mar}\,1901$ upon exchange of ratifications.

• U.S. sought clarification → Spain ceded “any & all islands” lying outside the Paris lines yet still under Spanish title.

• Legally mopped up gaps but still left maritime zones undefined by today’s standards.

Post-Colonial Expansion of Claims

Tomas Cloma & Kalayaan (Spratly) Islands (Page 5)

• 1950s: Filipino navigator/entrepreneur Tomas Cloma “discovers” & names Kalayaan (Freedom) Group—internationally Spratly Islands.

• Issued a “Proclamation of Freedom” (unofficial, private) asserting sovereignty.

• Motivated Congress & executive to study external island groups.

Presidential Decree 1596 (11 June 1978)

• President Ferdinand E. Marcos formally declares the Kalayaan Group as part of Philippine territory.
  • Defines metes & bounds using straight line segments.
  • Cites security & economic (hydro­carbon, fisheries) rationale.

• Elevates previous private claim to state act, integrated into municipal governance (Palawan).

Pre-1898 Cartographic Evidence of Spanish Dominion

Murillo-Velarde Map of $1734$ (Pages 6–9)

• “Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas.”
  • Engraved by Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay; concept by Jesuit Fr. Pedro Murillo-Velarde.
  • Famous for detailed coastline, ethnographic vignettes & surrounding Asian landmasses.

• Geographic inclusions relevant today
  • “Los Bajos de Paragua” situated west of Palawan ⇨ identified with present‐day Spratly Islands.
  • “Panacot” island/rock ⇨ Scarborough Shoal.

• Evidentiary value
  • Demonstrates that Spanish‐era administration regarded these off-shore features as linked to Las Islas Filipinas (used in arbitration cases vs. China).

• Miscellaneous labels captured (Pages 8–10)
  • Bajo Paragua, Apolauan, Cactabon, Tinitian, Babuyan, Aborlan, etc.—local names that validate presence/knowledge.
  • On Luzon: Manila, Lingayen, Tarlac, Arayat, Subic, Guagua, etc.—shows inland settlements.
  • “Monte de S. Pd.” and “Malabar” mark regional neighbors (India, Borneo) giving relative context.

Continuity of Mapping & Territorial Consciousness (Page 10)

• Scarborough Shoal (then “Panacot”) mapped north‐west of Luzon—later central in 2012 standoff vs. PRC.

• Chain of named reefs & cays in Spratlys within traditional Spanish lines.

• Demonstrates pre-treaty, pre-UNCLOS basis for “historic rights” argument.

Practical/Legal Implications

• Treaties & decrees collectively support an archipelagic envelope larger than original Paris polygon.

• Article 1’s internal‐waters clause ➔ legitimizes straight baseline system (adopted 1961, amended 2009 Baselines Law $RA\,9522$).

• Murillo-Velarde & similar maps are admissible historical exhibits (e.g., PCA case Philippines v. China $2013–2016$).

• Domestic legislation (PD 1596, RA 9522) & constitutional text form internal law; under Art 38 Statute of ICJ may inform international custom when acted upon continuously.

Numerical/Statistical Summary

• Highest peaks referenced: $Mt.\,Katanglad=2938\,m$, $Mt.\,Pulog=2922\,m$.

• Key treaty dates: $1898,$ $1900,$ $1901,$ $1978.$

• Map publication: $1734.$

Connections to Broader Themes

• Archipelago as a “constitutional core”—mirrors Indonesia’s 1957 Djuanda Doctrine.

• Strategic significance: Spratlys & Scarborough lie on major shipping lanes; estimated $10\%$ of global fisheries catch & trillions in hydrocarbons.

• Ethical/philosophical: balancing ancestral/historic title with modern UNCLOS framework; stewardship over marine biodiversity hotspots.

Ancillary Details

• Course Developers credited in transcript: Percival S. Gabriel; Rhinalou Cervantes-Salamat.

• Map image link useful for visual study: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CartaHydrographicayChorographicadelaYslasFilipinasMANILA,_1734.jpg

• Free World Maps physical map link: http://www.freeworldmaps.net/asia/philippines/philippines-physical-map.jpg