Poe urges gov’t to conduct research in West PHL Sea reefs

Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s order stopping foreign scientific research in Benham Rise, Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday urged the government to conduct its exploration in all Philippine-claimed reefs in the West Philippine Sea.

Poe filed Senate Resolution No. 611 urging, in particular, the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development and the Philippine Council on Industry, Energy and Emerging Technologies Research and Development to initiate the research with government’s backing.

“The Philippine government should strengthen its claim on the islands located off the West Philippine Sea and on the Benham Rise and not surrender its claim into the disputed areas,” she said.

“If studies to be conducted by Filipino scientists would prove that Benham Rise and the West Philippine Sea are rich in mineral and oil deposits, it could turn the Philippines into a gas exporter and could reduce the dependence of the country on imported oil,” Poe pointed out.

Poe filed the resolution following Duterte’s order stopping maritime scientific research by foreigners in the Benham Rise. While there is no total ban on foreign scientific research and exploration in the 13 million-hectare underwater plateau off Aurora province, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said “we want Filipinos to do it as much as possible.”

Poe, however, pointed out that “the purported agreement with China on the Benham Rise exploration was bereft of details and has not been made public, even as Malacañang has ordered to stop foreign research on Benham Rise.”

Also this week, reports indicated that Beijing has nearly finished military installations in the seven reefs claimed by the Philippines.

The Philippines challenged China’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea in January 2013. In July 2016, an arbitral tribunal based in the Hague ruled in the Philippines' favor and nullified China's nine-dash claims. —ALG, GMA News