QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign an Executive Order renaming Benham Rise to Philippine Ridge to strengthen country’s rights over the area.
“That is ours,” the President said, claiming the Benham Rise as a part of the Philippine territory.
Duterte said this during his departure speech on Monday at the Davao International Airport.
He made the speech before he flew for the Middle East for a series of state visits meant to boost bilateral ties with the Gulf states.
“I will be signing an executive order, maybe when I come back, renaming it Philippine Ridge or the Philippine Rise. Ridge mas maganda because it connects one to another and it connects the claims inside our continental ridge,” President Duterte explained.
He previously directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to build structures on Benham Rise to show it is owned by the Philippines.
On the other hand, President Duterte also clarified that he does not intend to place warfare equipment in the territory.
“There must be a balance in the area,” Duterte said.
“We do not mean harm to China. We are friends, as a matter of fact, when the spectacle of a war is gone, nothing is dangerous to the Philippines. China can relax. We are friends. We will not go to war with you. We’re just trying to maintain the balance of the geopolitical situation there,” Duterte added.
In 2012, the United Nations granted the Philippine rights to the Benham Rise, after Manila proved that the territory was part of Isabela province’s extended continental shelf.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines has sovereign rights to explore and exploit natural resources there.
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Jodi Bustos, Eagle News Service
