UP IMLOS - Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea

13/10/2026

LOOK: IMLOS Director Dr. Jay Batongbacal joined Philippine-German dialogues on the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific, sharing his expertise on the enduring relevance of the 2016 Arbitral Award and the importance of international partnerships in upholding a rules-based maritime order.

17/09/2026

11/09/2026

Happy to have finished day 1 of an international lecture tour celebrating the Maritime & Archipelagic Awareness Month, starting with ICESI University in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Muchas gracias to the Philippine Embassy in Colombia and the ICESI University for hosting the event.

During the session on the Law of the Sea and today’s polycrisis, students and teachers engaged with many very interesting questions, ranging from the nature of the international community and law, the means of compliance & enforcement in a “primitive” society, the regulation of AI and AI companies, and melding on international law with international relations practice.

We look forward to further collaboration with ICESI University in the future, taking off from our common historical and social origins as former colonies of Spain, and now as fully independent sovereign developing States with mutual interests and objectives in the shaping of our respective national futures.

07/09/2026

𝐔𝐏 𝐈𝐌𝐋𝐎𝐒, 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟔𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒-𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝟏.𝟓 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 🇵🇭🇦🇺

𝘾𝘼𝙉𝘽𝙀𝙍𝙍𝘼, 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖 | 𝙎𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 2, 2026 — Legal officers from the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP IMLOS) were members of the Philippine Academic Delegation in a series of engagements in Canberra, including the 6th Philippines-Australia Track 1.5 Maritime Dialogue.

UP IMLOS lawyers Atty. Isabel Cañaveral, Atty. Ana Cosme, and Atty. Neil Silva participated alongside experts from the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) and the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), contributing their legal and academic perspectives to discussions on maritime cooperation and regional security.

Atty. Cañaveral, Atty. Cosme, and Atty. Silva served as speakers during Session 1 on legal and security issues. Atty. Cosme also served as co-facilitator of Session 3, featuring a scenario-based discussion on cable resilience.

The Track 1.5 engagement brought together government officials, academics, and experts from the Philippines and Australia to exchange perspectives and identify opportunities for cooperation on emerging maritime challenges, including maritime security, marine environmental protection, critical marine infrastructure, resilience, and capacity-building.

The delegation’s participation formed part of a series of Philippines–Australia engagements held in Canberra, alongside the Australia–Philippines Track 1 Maritime Dialogue, the ANU Philippines Institute Roundtable, and activities marking the 10th Anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

05/09/2026

The roundtable on science diplomacy in the Sulu-Sulawesi-Timor region is part of the first transnational marine scientific cooperation and confidence-building initiative of its kind in the region. Read more: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/advancing-science-diplomacy-in-sulu-sulawesi-timor-region/

This discussion is part of an upcoming project led by the UP Marine Science Institute and the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, Inc., with support from the Australia in The Philippines and in partnership with the UP IMLOS - Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management’s Science Diplomacy Program, and Foreign Service Institute, Philippines - FSI Philippines.

For more information on the project, follow the Microbial Oceanography Laboratory.

30/07/2026

Nature spent thousands of years building these coral reefs, but it took only months for them to suffer irreversible damage. 🌊

In the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration, the Tribunal ruled that China caused irreparable harm to the marine environment through its island-building activities and destructive harvesting practices. Learn what the Tribunal found, why these actions violated UNCLOS, and what they mean for local marine life and the livelihoods that depend on the survival of our coral reefs.

🔎 🇵🇭 🌊

29/07/2026

UP-IMLOS is honored and privileged to have contributed to the making of the second Philippine submission for a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines of the territorial sea and within the West Palawan Region. IMLOS Director Prof. Jay L Batongbacal delivered the part of the presentation dealing with the legal framework of the submission.

The Philippines delivered the official presentation of its partial submission concerning the country’s entitlement to an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), covering the West Palawan Region, before the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), at the United Nations Headquarters.

Read full story 👉🏻 https://tinyurl.com/ycx79vtw

29/07/2026

Can building on a submerged reef create new territorial rights? 🤔🌊

Panganiban (Mischief) Reef is a low-tide elevation located within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. Under UNCLOS, it cannot be claimed as sovereign territory or transformed into an island with new maritime entitlements through artificial construction.

As we remember the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea Arbitral Award, learn why the Tribunal ruled that China's activities at Panganiban Reef violated the Philippines' sovereign rights and international law, and why protecting our seas matters for present and future generations.

🔎 🇵🇭 🌊

29/07/2026

Have you ever wondered why there’s so much tension around Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal)? 🌊

This small coral reef has become one of the key areas of a long-running dispute that directly affects Filipino fisherfolk and the Philippines' rights at sea. Learn what the 2016 Arbitral Award said—and why it still matters today.

🔎 🇵🇭 🌊

29/07/2026

https://dfa.gov.ph/philippines-presents-request-for-extended-continental-shelf-in-the-west-philippine-sea-at-the-united-nations/