Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines shall exercise sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the body of water extending up to 200 nautical miles from the archipelagic baselines, and the continental shelf, seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the other edge of the continental margin. When the continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles, a coastal state is required under Article 76 of the UNCLOS to make the submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), which will set out the coordinates of the outer limits of the shelf accompanied by technical and scientific data to support the claim. The CLCS assesses the data submitted and makes recommendations. The outer limits of the continental shelf established by a coastal state based on these recommendations are final and binding.

Romero, A. (2018, February 12). House creates P100-M trust fund for Phl Rise research. The Philippine Star, p. 11.