PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is considering the procurement of maritime survey vessels in a bid to identify resource-rich areas in the Philippine Rise, Malacañang said Tuesday, March 6.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte and his Cabinet had agreed Monday, March 5, that there was a need to buy research ships, as the President asserted the Philippines' sovereign rights over the Philippine Rise.
"The President and the Cabinet noted that we should invest in maritime survey ships so that we can better assess the resources that we can exploit in the Philippine Rise," he told Palace reporters.
The Philippine Rise, previously called Benham Rise, is a 13-million-hectare undersea region believed to be rich in natural gas and other resources like heavy metals. It is located east of Luzon and off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora.
Roque said the government was considering utilizing Malampaya funds for the procurement of maritime survey ships. He, however, noted possible "legal questions" that might crop up, since Malampaya funds can only be tapped for energy-related programs.
"There was an initial proposal to buy using Malampaya funds, but it was noted that there may be legal questions... [There's a] permanent injunction issued by the Supreme Court, that Malampaya funds could only be utilized for energy-related projects," he said.
Nevertheless, Roque said the current administration has sufficient budget to purchase the research vessels.
Recently, the Duterte goverment was in hot water for allowing China to conduct maritime scientific reasearch in the Philippine Rise. Critics feared that China, which has sweeping claims over South China Sea, might also lay claim to the Philippine Rise.
Roque said that Duterte, during Monday's 32nd Cabinet meeting, reiterated his previous directive to limit the foreign entities' research expeditions in the undersea region.
The President, he said, also gave emphasis on the Filipino national's sovereign rights in the "undisputed" Philippine Rise.
"The President reiterated that the only right that foreigners can exercise in Philippine Rise is the right to innocent passage," the presidential spokesman said.
"Exploration for natural resources, conduct of scientific research, laying of submarine cables and building of aritificial islands in the Philippine Rise are reserved for Philippine nationals," he added.
Last month, Malacañang announced that Duterte would only allow maritime scientific research of foreign scientists who secure permits from the Department of Foreign Affairs' inter-agency technical working group and the Office of the Natural Security Adviser. (SunStar Philippines)