ADDENDUM ON THE BANGSAMORO WATERS AND ZONES OF JOINT COOPERATION

The Addendum on the Bangsamoro Waters is appended to the Annexes on Power Sharing and Wealth Sharing.
It outlines the delineation and jurisdiction of Bangsamoro waters in the region.

MISAMIS ORIENTAL

PALAWAN

MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE

BUKIDNON

LANAO DEL NORTE

S U L U

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY

S E A

LANAO DEL SUR

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR

Cotabato City NORTH COTABATO

Zamboanga City

ZONE OF JOINT COOPERATION

ZONE OF
JOINT COOPERATION

MAGUINDANAO

BASILAN
SULTAN KUDARAT

SOUTH COTABATO

SULU

SARANGANI

LEGEND
ZONES OF JOINT COOPERATION

M I N D A N A O
TAWI-TAWI

MUNICIPAL WATERS
(15 KM FROM LOW-WATER MARK)

BANGSAMORO WATERS
(22.224 KM FROM LOW-WATER
MARK)

BANGSAMORO
WATERS

Bangsamoro
Waters

Zones of
Joint Cooperation

S E A

E
S

The Bangsamoro Waters shall extend up to 22.224 kilometers (12 nautical miles) from the low-water mark of the coasts that are part of the
Bangsamoro territory. The Bangsamoro Waters shall be part of the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro political entity. Municipal
waters extend up to 15 kilometers from the coasts. Municipal waters are therefore part of the Bangsamoro Waters.
The Zones of Joint Cooperation are in parts of the Sulu Sea and the Moro Gulf as indicated in the map above. They are all within the
territorial sea and internal waters of the Philippines and are not part of the Bangsamoro Political Entity.
In these areas, the Bangsamoro Government and the Central Government shall cooperate on matters such as:
Fisheries and marine development
Environmental protection
Enhancement of the movement of vessels, goods, and people

The cooperation and coordination between the Central Government and the Bangsamoro Government within the Zones of Joint Cooperation shall be maintained through the joint
body and the other intergovernmental relations mechanisms.
These zones are established for the purposes of:
a) protection of indigenous communities traditional fishing grounds
b) creating opportunities for benefitting from the resources
c) interconnectivity of the islands and the mainland parts for a cohesive Bangsamoro political entity

POWER SHARING

WEALTH SHARING

Wealth-sharing and power-sharing

arrangements between the Central Government
and the Bangsamoro Government within the
Bangsamoro Waters and the Zones of Joint
Cooperation

The same wealth-sharing and power-sharing arrangements as those to be

exercised by the Bangsamoro Government in the provinces and cities that
comprise the autonomous region shall apply in the Bangsamoro Waters. Therefore,
the classification of powers into reserved, concurrent, and exclusive shall also
apply.
The Central Government retains its reserved powers over defense and external
security, foreign policy, immigration, common market and global trade, among
others.
As for the Zones of Joint Cooperation, the Central Government and the
Bangsamoro Government shall cooperate and coordinate through the
intergovernmental relations mechanism to determine the sharing of income and
revenues derived from exploration, development, and utilization of non-living
resources.
The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) shall provide the details on how to operationalize
the exercise of joint cooperation between the Central Government and the
Bangsamoro Government within the Zones of Joint Cooperation. All local
governments along the Sulu and the Moro Gulf will be represented in the joint
body that will be created for this purpose.

Will the Bangsamoro Waters and Zones of Joint

Cooperation reduce the territorial sea of the Republic
of the Philippines? Will their creation affect the
Philippines rights and obligations under the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)?
No. Bangsamoro Waters and the Zones of Joint Cooperation remain part of the territorial sea of
the Philippines, as defined in the UNCLOS. As such, all rights and obligations of the country
with respect to these areas are retained. The Philippine Government exercises sovereign
authority over these waters.

BANGSAMORO
WATERS

Can fishermen who are not residents of the

Bangsamoro still freely fish in the Bangsamoro
waters?

Yes. Bangsamoro Waters as part of the territorial waters of the Philippines remain available to all
Filipino citizens for fishing subject only to regulation by the Bangsamoro Government and the
respective local governments with respect to their municipal waters.
The Bangsamoro people, other indigenous peoples in adjoining provinces, and the resident
fishers in the Bangsamoro shall have preferential rights over fishery, aquamarine, and other
living resources in the Zones of Joint Cooperation in accordance with the articles on National
Economy and Patrimony and Social Justice and Human Rights of the Constitution.
The grant of preferential rights to these specific groups of people gives life to these
constitutional guarantees.

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