The Philippines is the only claimant to Benham Rise, which covers 13 million hectares of an undersea region that contains huge natural gas deposits.
The House of Representatives has formally adopted a resolution “to urge the Executive to allocate funds for the additional scientific research and feasibility studies” in the Philippine Rise, which used to be called Benham Rise.
House Resolution No. 1636, introduced by Ilocos Sur 1st District Rep. Deogracias Victor Savellano, expressed “the need to establish a trust fund with a seed amount of P100 million” to be managed by the National Coast Watch Council.
The proposed fund could be allocated for research, feasibility studies, and marine exploration for mineral deposits, energy sources and other resources, as well as the acquisition of new equipment.
The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2012 granted the Philippines’ undisputed maritime claim over the 13-million hectare undersea plateau off the eastern coast of Luzon.
The Philippines has sovereign rights over the marine resources of the region, since it was declared part of the extended continental shelf of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
President Rodrigo Duterte renamed Benham Rise as Philippine Rise through Executive Order No. 25 in May 2017, ostensibly to assert the country’s sovereign rights over the area.the area.
His administration, however, has drawn criticism for permitting Chinese oceanographers to conduct its studies over the area.
After the Chinese vessels left the waters 11 days into the 33-day period allowed by the government, Duterte on Feb. 5 halted foreign-led exploration of the area. /atm