Nat’l Security Council: There are still incursions in PH Rise

MANILA, Philippines — There are still incursions in the Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, according to a National Security Council (NSC) official on Tuesday.

READ: Duterte renames Benham Rise Philippine Rise

Senator Imee Marcos, Senate committee on economic affairs chair, asked resource persons if there are still incursions in the Philippine Rise.

“We just tightened up the security by conducting the collaborative efforts of all maritime agencies like the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy to assure that such incursion of foreign vessels conducting MSRs (marine scientific research) should be curbed and at least mitigated,” NSC Deputy Director-General Rufino Lopez Jr. replied during the Senate panel hearing.

“For the record, there are still incursions and our Coast Guard and the limited assets of the Philippine Navy are trying their best to conduct proper report of all of these incursions,” he added.

READ: House panel OKs bill declaring portion of Philippine Rise as protected area

For his part, PCG Rear Admiral Ronie Gil Gavan said that they have already laid three buoys in the Philippine Rise which can be detected by satellite.

“Please allow us to inform, Your Honor, that the Coast Guard has actually undertaken several measures already including the establishment or the laying of buoys at the Philippine Rise to mark our area there,” Gavan said.

“Halfway to completion as well is a Forward Operating Base in Casiguran, Aurora province and there’s one in the pipeline at Catanduanes,” he shared.

READ: Duterte says he won’t allow any intrusion in Philippine Rise

Among the measures the panel discussed are Senate Bill Nos. 707 and 2039 which seeks to establish the Philippine Rise Development Authority Act as the lead agency in conducting scientific research and exploration in the said area.

The Philippine Rise is located off the eastern coast of Luzon and is recognized by the United Nations as part of the country’s continental shelf. China, however, pressed that the Philippines cannot claim it as its own.

READ: PH can’t claim Benham Rise as its own territory—Beijing

In 2018, an expert revealed that China named five undersea features in the Philippine Rise.

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