As an archipelago, the unity of the islands and the waters surrounding the same is a fundamental tenet for the Philippines. Having one of the world's longest coastlines and possessing a huge expanse of maritime domain to include its Exclusive Economic Zone and Extended Continental Shelf, safeguarding its seas and managing its marine resources long constitute a major challenge for the Philippine government. Aside from this geographical given, domestic and regional factors also put pressure on efforts to police these waters. To this end, harmonizing guidelines for maritime actions can be seen as one positive step to improve enforcement of Philippine maritime laws and regulations.
As demand for fish and other living marine resources rise, competition over access to fishing rights in the seas of East Asia will continue to intensify. In the absence of mechanisms to manage regional commons especially in disputed waters, such competition may lead to accidents that may strain relations between neighbors. Unfortunate encounters between Chinese fishing vessels and coast guard authorities of Japan and South Korea, for instance, had led to episodes of soured diplomatic ties between these Northeast Asian neighbors. In the Philippines, waters in its western and northern areas are regularly frequented by foreign illegal fishermen and active maritime law enforcement response had sometimes elicited frictions with neighbors too.....