DENR to spend to explore Philippine Rise

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will spend nearly R1 billion to conduct geological investigation and exploration of minerals within the Philippine Rise, a 25-million hectare shallow continental shelf east of the main island of Luzon that could be the next big source of huge revenues for the Philippine government.

Jonas Leones, a newly designated DENR spokesperson, said the DENR has allotted a separate budget for Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to conduct their own exploration in Philippine Rise.

According to him, the budget for both agencies could reach R500 million each or likely the same amount they received in 2017.

Leones' statement came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the cessation of all marine explorations and studies by foreign scientists in Philippine Rise, formerly called Benham Rise.

For his part, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said it is only right for Duterte to make such call since Filipinos are capable to do such explorations.

Leones, who also serves as DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs, said there is now a call for coordination among government agencies in terms of the exploration in Philippine Rise.

Aside from DENR, agencies involved include Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Leones said DOST is being eyed to consolidate all the exploration efforts in the shelf. It was Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol who first announced Duterte's decision to stop all foreign-led explorations in Philippine Rise.

According to him, the President directed the Philippine Navy to "chase out" any vessel fishing or conducting researches in the 13-million hectare continental shelf.

"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," Duterte said, as cited by Piñol.

Duterte then directed the Department of National Defense to deploy Navy vessels and the Philippine Air Force to conduct fly overs in the area to check on the presence of foreign vessels.

Piñol said the DA, for its part, is ready to dispatch its two new Multi-Mission Offshore Vessels BRP Lapulapu and BRP Francisco Dagohoy to the area to monitor the presence of foreign groups.