Manila to buy maritime survey ships for Philippine Rise

March 6, 2018

The Philippine government is eyeing to acquire maritime survey ships to be used in the exploration of the Philippine Rise, formerly Benham Rise, Malacanang said on Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said during the Cabinet meeting on Monday in Malacanang, President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated foreigners could only exercise the right of innocent passage in the Philippine Rise.

"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," he said.

"The president and the Cabinet also noted that we should invest in maritime survey ships so that we could better assess the resources that we can exploit in the Philippine Rise," Roque said.

He said during the Cabinet meeting, it was initially considered to get the budget to purchase the survey ships from the Malampaya Fund, represents government royalties from the offshore natural gas project off Palawan.

However, with the Supreme Court's decision to only use the Malampaya proceeds for energy purposes, he said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III assured that the government could tap the budget from other sources.

Duterte earlier ordered to stop all maritime survey research by foreign governments in the Philippine Rise.

His order came following criticisms from some quarters, including Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, for allowing China to conduct a research in the Philippine extended continental shelf located east of Luzon island despite Beijing's refusal to honor the award of the United Nations Arbitral Court in Manila's petition pertaining to South China Sea.

The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration has invalidated China's "sovereign rights" through a nine-dash line in almost the entire South China Sea, including those areas within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of other countries, like the Philippines. Celerina Monte/DMS