THE proposed maritime zones bill 'has never become more imperative,' especially in clarifying the 'geographic jurisdiction' of the country in terms of certain Philippine laws amid increasing tensions in the disputed waters off the West Philippine Sea, Presidential Assistant on Maritime Concerns Secretary Andres Centino said Tuesday.

Passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives last March 20, the bill defines the maritime zones of the Philippines, which includes its internal and archipelagic waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and continental shelf in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 arbitral ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines against China.