[ads2]
On April 6, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he wanted to change the name of “Benham Rise.” He initially came up with “Philippine Ridge.”
[ads1]
On April 8, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the Philippine government was studying the possibility of calling Benham Rise “Philippine Rise” to boost the country’s sovereign rights over the undersea plateau.
On May 16, President Duterte stayed true to his word when he signed Executive Order No. 25 to rename Benham Rise after the sighting of Chinese research vessels in the region.
The Philippine Rise is a 13-million hectare undersea plateau located near Aurora province. It is considered part of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The President has ordered the National Mapping and Resource Information Area to make the changes on the Philippine official maps and charts.
LOOK: EO changing the name of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise signed by #PresidentDuterte. | @KSabilloINQ pic.twitter.com/AIXNal010B
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) May 22, 2017
Sources: ( news.abs-cbn.com , gmanetwork.com )
[ads3]