Benham Rise Now Renamed To ‘Philippine Rise’

The Benham Rise can now be called as the ‘Philippine Rise’.

BENHAM RISE – The executive order aiming for the renaming of the controversial Benham Rise has already been signed by Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

In the recent months, the rights over the Benham Rise is one of those that have became the center of attention and sparked news reports.

The Chinese vessels spotted on the underwater plateau alarmed the Filipino citizenry. Pres. Duterte previously expressed an idea of renaming the Benham Rise.

Benham Rise
Photo lifted from Business Mirror (Jonathan L. Mayuga)

Based on a recent news report in Inquirer, the Benham Rise is now the ‘Philippine Rise’ after the 72-year-old Chief Executive of the country signed the executive order number 25.

The said EO reportedly states that the Benham Rise in maps, may it be local or international, will be “referred as the Philippine Rise”.

Benham Rise
Photo Courtesy of Inquirer, Joan Bondoc

According to the news report, aside from Pres. Duterte, another person who signed the order was Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

All charts and maps are now required to use the new name of the underwater plateau in referring to it. The Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies concerned would be the source of the fund needed for the implementation of the move.

Based on a previous news report, the underwater plateau can be located east off the province of Aurora. It was named after American Admiral Andrew Benham, the one who discovered it.

The DFA and the office of the Executive Secretary were previously tasked to check on the possibility of giving a new name to the Benham Rise.

According to the news report, the government though of the possibility of the move in the pursuit of stressing the jurisdiction of the country over the underwater plateau.

Chinese vessels were reportedly spotted on the area. China reasoned out that they were just “exercising navigation freedoms and the right to innocent passage”.

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