MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte has approved the planned trip of five government ships to Benham Rise, a resource-rich area east of Luzon where Chinese research vessels were spotted earlier this year.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the trip of research vessel m/v DA-BFAR (Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) and four smaller vessels has been scheduled on May 5-7.
Piñol said Duterte gave his blessing to the trip in a meeting in Malacañang last Wednesday.
“Go ahead and discover what could be done to protect the area,” Duterte was quoted by Piñol as having said in an online post.
Located off the coast of Aurora province, Benham Rise is a 13-million-hectare submerged continental shelf that was declared by the United Nations as part of Philippine territory in 2012.
In March, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana raised concerns over the presence of Chinese research ships in Benham Rise, which is not included in China’s expansive maritime claim in the region.
China has said it was only exercising “navigation freedoms” and assured the Philippines that it would respect its rights over the continental shelf.
Duterte, who is seeking closer ties with China, claimed the Chinese government had informed him beforehand of its plan to pass through Benham Rise. He claimed that the presence of Chinese vessels in the area does not constitute an incursion.
The President maintained, though, that the Philippines owns the continental shelf and even bared a plan to issue an executive order renaming Benham Rise to “Philippine Rise.”
Piñol will lead the Benham Rise expedition, which will also involve about a dozen fiberglass fishing boats manned by Filipino fishermen.
The expedition will set sail from Infanta, Quezon where 38-footer FB Pagbabago fiberglass fishing boats will be awarded to Filipino fishermen. The boats will then join the expedition bound for the continental shelf.
Piñol said m/v DA-BFAR, the mother ship of the expedition, would drop anchor in the shallowest part of Benham Rise. Fishermen would also set up fish sheds in the area.
Accredited divers and environmental groups who would like to join the trip are requested to coordinate with the BFAR, he added.
The Benham Rise expedition was originally scheduled during the Holy Week but it was postponed because of a low-pressure area in the eastern part of the country.