China is not the only country whose application to conduct research on the resource-rich Benham Rise the Philippines has approved, Malacanang said on Thursday.
The government has also allowed the US, Japan and South Korea to do research in the undersea area, according to Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr, who debunked claims by critics that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte was biased for China.
“Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano apprised me of the latest developments in Benham Rise (renamed Philippine Rise). Request applications to conduct research by the United States, Japan and South Korea have likewise been approved,” Roque said in a statement sent to reporters.
“This hopefully puts to rest the issue that the current administration is favouring China in the issue of Benham Rise,” he added.
The Palace official also clarified that Filipinos were free to conduct maritime research on the Philippine Rise even without a government permit. This was after Roque drew flak for saying during a news briefing on Tuesday that no one in the Philippines had applied for a permit to study the continental shelf east of the country, and no Filipino could do so because of the prohibitive cost.
His statement was countered by maritime expert Jay Batongbacal, saying Filipino scientists have done research in the resource-rich underwater plateau for years. “We must look at my response on the issue in its entirety. I was referring to China when I said ‘no one has applied and no one can do it, because, apparently, it’s capital-intensive.’ Earlier, I responded, and I quote, ‘Because only China has qualified so far. There are other applicants, unfortunately they did not qualify according to fixed guidelines already set by the government,’” Roque said.
Filipinos, he said, were free to do research on the Philippine Rise since the country has sovereign rights in the area. “It is obvious that my statement pertains to China and not the Philippines. As Filipinos, we do not need consent to conduct scientific investigation in Benham Rise because it is subject to our sovereign rights which includes the right to conduct scientific research,” Roque said.
Philippine Rise, also known as Benham Rise, was renamed by President Duterte to assert jurisdiction over the area.
In 2012, the United Nations ruled that the Philippine Rise was part of the country’s exclusive economic zone, which gave the Philippines “sovereign rights” to explore and exploit the resources in the area.