MANILA, Philippines 鈥斅犫�淏enham Rise is exclusively Philippine property. I have made it clear to all, to the world: I will not allow any intrusion there,鈥� President Rodrigo Duterte said in a taped public address that aired on Monday night.
鈥淲ell, of course, the right to innocent passage is everybody鈥檚 privilege, but to allow anybody even to just try to exploit or to look, I will not allow them to do that 鈥� because Philippine Rise belongs to the Filipino people,鈥� Duterte added.
This was Duterte鈥檚 response to the suggestion of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who attended the briefing. Enrile suggested that 鈥渨e get what we can get from China on the West Philippine Sea.鈥�
鈥淯se it to strengthen our military capability and exploit Benham Rise, Philippine Rise,鈥� Enrile, who was also a secretary of defense, told Duterte.
Benham, or the Philippine, Rise lies off the eastern coast of Luzon. China insists, however, that the , despite its being recognized by the United Nations as being part of the continental shelf of the Philippines.
The Philippines is the only claimant to Benham Rise, which covers 13 million hectares of an undersea region that contains huge natural gas deposits.
Recently, the Philippines started to take a more concrete step to strengthen its claim over the area. The Philippine Coast Guard is set to install the first three of 10 lighted ocean as part of the country鈥檚 exclusive economic zone.
The government has previously mulled putting up structures at the Philippine Rise to signify the country鈥檚 ownership.
It was in May 2017 when Duterte changed the name of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise to emphasize the country鈥檚 sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the area.
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