Filipinos are free to conduct maritime research in the resource-rich Philippine Rise even without a government permit, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday.
Roque made the clarification after he said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday that Filipinos could not do a research on their own in the continental shelf located off eastern Luzon because the endeavor was “capital intensive.”
READ: Palace says no Filipino can afford research at PH Rise
During the Palace briefing on Tuesday, Roque was asked why Filipinos could not conduct marine research on their own in the Philippine Rise.
“Because no one has applied. And no one can do it because, apparently, it’s capital intensive. You do not need a permit for any Filipino corporation to conduct scientific investigation in Benham Rise because it is ours so that’s not something that a consent has to be given by the government,” Roque then responded.
His statement was countered by maritime expert Jay Batongbacal, saying Filipino scientists have done research in the resource-rich underwater plateau in the past years.
Roque then clarified his remarks in a statement sent to the media on Thursday.
“We must look at my response on the issue in its entirety. I was referring to China when I said ‘no one has applied and no one can do it, because, apparently, it’s capital-intensive.’ Earlier, I responded, and I quote, ‘Because only China has qualified so far. There are other applicants, unfortunately they did not qualify according to fixed guidelines already set by the government’,” he said.
Filipinos, he said, are free to do research in the Philippine Rise since the country has sovereign rights in the area.
“It is obvious that my statement pertains to China and not the Philippines. As Filipinos, we do not need consent to conduct scientific investigation in Benham Rise because it is subject to our sovereign rights which includes the right to conduct scientific research,” Roque said.
“The Government of the Philippines does not need, therefore, to give a permit to Filipinos in this regard. We have the sovereign rights to explore and exploit the resources in Benham Rise,” he added.
He further explained that Filipino scientists could do marine research in Philippine Rise.
“To reiterate, I never said that Filipinos cannot conduct research in Benham Rise. On the contrary, only Filipinos can do so even without express consent of our state,” he said.
Roque then said that Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has informed him that aside from China, the requests of United States, Japan, and South Korea for marine research in the area have also been approved.
“This hopefully puts to rest the issue that the current administration is favoring China in the issue of Benham Rise,” he said.
Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, was renamed so by President Rodrigo Duterte to assert jurisdiction over the area.
In 2012, the United Nations (UN) ruled that the Philippine Rise was part of the country’s exclusive economic zone, which gave the Philippines “sovereign rights” to explore and exploit the resources in the area. /kga