New Hope New Name PRES. DUTERTE ORDERS RENAMING OF BENHAM RISE TO PHILIPPINE RISE By Manny Piñol

To emphasize the country’s ownership of the vast continental shelf of Luzon measuring about 25-million hectares, President Rody Duterte last night ordered the renaming of the Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.

“That area has long been the fishing ground of Filipinos even before Andrew Benham “discovered” it. So why name it after him? It should be named after our country,” he said last night after I reported on the results of the expedition made by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) to the area.

“The landform is presumably named after Admiral Andrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham (1832–1905) by American surveyors who were the probable discoverers of the geological feature. He was a United States Navy officer, who served with both the South Atlantic and West Gulf Blockading Squadrons during the American Civil War,” an excerpt on the background of the area said in a Wikipedia page.

Wikipedia, however, added that the extended continental shelf has long been the traditional fishing ground of fishermen from Luzon.

“Benham Rise has been part of the culture of ancient Filipinos. Ancient Catanduanes people have fished and roamed the area long before the colonial era. In fact, it is celebrated in Catandunganons’ folktales, legends and poetry,” the Wikipedia entry said.

“Its local Bicol term is called Kalipung-awan (means loneliness in an isolated place). Its strategic location between Taiwan and Luzon make it a feature of geopolitical importance,” Wikipedia added.

Of the 25-million hectares, 13-million hectares are part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, which means that only Filipinos supposed to fish in the area, while the remaining 12-million hectares is included in the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).

While the Philippine Rise is part of the country’s territorial waters, Taiwanese Long Line Fishing Boats have been competing with Filipino fishermen who only use hand lines to catch Tuna and other big fish species.

Last month, it was also reported that Chinese vessels stayed in the area for about three months reportedly to conduct researches.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) protested the presence of the Chinese vessels in the Philippine Rise.

(Attached video is the report of the PTV4 crew which joined the expedition to the Philippine Rise.)