PH to contest naming of underwater features by China

THE Philippines will contest the nam Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) by China, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said on Wednesday, as President Rodrigo Duterte warned of war over un- authorized expeditions to the area.

Abella said the government raised its objection to the research activity of the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on February 13 during the second bilateral consulta- tions with China, which also discussed the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.

“There is a mechanism for bilateral conversation and it (naming of features) was initially raised there so that is the conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City.

Abella said the government would also register its objection before the

body that approved the naming of the underwater features, referring to the International Hydrographic Organization – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (IHO-IOC GEBCO) SubCommittee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN).

Asked if China expressed willingness to withdraw the names it had registered, Abella said there was no response.

He said the Philippines would course its concerns through dialogue, which would include an agreement that no further research must be done without permission from the Philippines.

The Duterte administration was heavily criticized after it was revealed that it allowed China to conduct research at the Philippine Rise, a resource-rich underwater plateau located east of Isabela declared by the United Nations in 2012 as an - tinental shelf.

Last month, the government announced stricter rules for foreign researchers seeking to explore the Philippine Rise.

Duterte threatens war

Also on Wednesday, President Duterte warned of the possibility of war erupting over the Philippine Rise should any country conduct maritime research there without permission from Manila.

In his speech during the inauguration of a housing project in Marawi City, Duterte reiterated that the Philippine Rise belongs to the Philippines. “The Philippine Rise, `yanatin talaga`yan May pinadalaakodoonna Marines, isangbatalyon.Sinabikotalaga, walangmage- experiment nadiyan

saakin (I already sent a battalion of Marines there. I said no one can conduct any experiment there unless they have my permission),” he said.

Duterte also likened a proposed joint exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea to “coownership.”

“Now, they offered joint explora

“See, if I annoyed them before, called them sons of bitches, nothing would have happened,” the President added.