‘Benham Rise is ours’: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte takes hard line on territory but mixed signals tell a different story
Critics have questioned why the Duterte administration allowed a group from China to undertake scientific research in the waters given Manila’s long-simmering territorial conflict with Beijing in the South China Sea
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered an end to all foreign scientific research missions in a vast expanse of waters off the country’s northeast and called on the military to “chase out” unauthorised vessels, an official said on Tuesday.
Duterte issued the order in a Cabinet meeting late Monday after doubts were raised over the country’s sovereign rights in the offshore region called Benham Rise, which the government has renamed Philippine Rise, said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol.
“Let me be very clear about this: The Philippine Rise is ours and any insinuation that it is open to everybody should end with this declaration,” Pinol quoted Duterte as telling cabinet members.
Benham Rise is an offshore frontier facing the Pacific Ocean that is approximately 24 million hectares (59 million acres) in size and is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, an area where nations have internationally recognised exclusive rights to exploit fish and fuel resources, and continental shelf further out in the ocean.
Philippine security officials raised concerns about intrusions when a Chinese ship was monitored criss-crossing the waters early last year, drawing public attention to the territory, which some believe could be harbouring undersea gas and oil deposits aside from its rich fishing areas.
Let me be very clear about this: The Philippine Rise is ours and any insinuation that it is open to everybody should end
Benham Rise lies on the other side of the Philippine archipelago from where Manila, Beijing and four other governments have been locked for decades in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.