Duterte wants new survey ships in Benham Rise

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte told his Cabinet members that there is a need to invest in maritime survey ships to assess the resources in Benham or Philippine Rise.

In a Cabinet meeting Monday evening, Duterte noted that foreigners have been doing a lot of reasearch in the undersea region off the coast of Aurora.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that there was an initial proposal to use Malampaya funds for buying new maritime exploration vessels.

"It was noted that there may be legal questions because the Malampaya funds in a case that I filed there was a... permanent injunction issued by the Supreme Court that Malampaya funds could only be used for energy-related projects," Roque said in a press briefing.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, on the other hand, said that the government has enough funds to buy new research ships.

"It was Secretary Dominguez who said, 'We have the money anyway, we’ll buy even if we do not have to use Malampaya funds' so the government will buy more research vessels," Roque said.

During the recent Cabinet meeting, Duterte also reiterated his previous order that only Filipinos will be allowed to conduct research in Benham Rise.

Roque, however, clarified that the order was not directed against China, which conducted only two marine scientific research in the area.

"The president reiterated that the only right that foreigners can exercise in Philippine Rise is the right to innocent passage. Exploration for natural resources, conduct of scientific research, laying of submarine cables and building of artificial islands in the Philippine Rise are reserved for Philippine nationals," Roque said.

As declared by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, Benham Rise is part of the Philippines' extended continental shelf, giving Manila sovereign rights to explore and exploit resources in the area.