Sovereignty is the supreme right to the state to command obedience within its territory, as stated in the Constitution, consists "of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, from part of the internal waters of the Philippines."

Tordecillas, E. (2016, December 21). Who is protecting PH national interest in South China Sea?. The Daily Guardian, p. 4.