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Benham Plateau also known as the Benham Rise will soon be officially

renamed as PHILIPPINE RIDGE (with coordinates 1193OE to 132OOE


and 121ON to 2O3ON latitude), is a 13 million hectare under sea region
east of Luzon and is 35 meters underwater at its shallowest point off the
provinces of Aurora and Isabela. It is delimited by the West Philippine Basin
to the north and east. It is a seismically active undersea region and extinct
volcanic ridge east of the Philippines, in the Philippine Sea which lies a
number of Basins including the West Philippine Basin (WPB) of which inside
the Basin is located the Central Basin Fault (CBF). The Benham Plateau
region is located in the CBF and its basement represents a micro-continent.
Several scientific survey analysis have been made to study its nature and its
impact on tectonic subduction, including one about its effects on the 1990
Luzon earthquake, which devastated the northern city of Baguio. The area is
solely claimed, as part of its continental shelf, by the Republic of the
Philippines, which was confirmed by the United Nations Commission on the
Limits of the Continental Shelf on April 12, 2012. Under the UNCLOS, a
coastal states exclusive economic zone extends 370 kilometers (200 nautical
miles) from its continental shelf, while its extended continental shelf extends
for another 278 km (150 nautical miles). The UN now recognizes the
Philippines claim and the countrys territory has increase to 43 million
hectares from 30 million hectares.
Named after the American geologist Andrew Benham who discovered the
continental shelf, the area was mapped in 1933 but its connection to the
Philippine shelf was validated only recently to justify the countys economic
claim. Despite its proximity to the archipelago, the plateau was previously not
included in the territory of the Philippine Islands. On 8 April 2009, the Republic
of the Philippines lodged a full territorial waters claim with the United Nations
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in relation to the continental
shelf in the region of Benham Rise. It was submitted as part of petition
expanding the archipelago's baselines and exclusive economic zone through
a law that also included other claims involving disputed territories of the
Kalayaan Islands (Spratly Islands) and Scarborough Shoal. Although the off
shore landform, in itself, is not disputed, the petition still received some
criticism inside and outside the country because of its controversial nature.
According to the government's claim, based on a set of guidelines by the
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the area satisfies the 350-
mile constraint line since the outer limits of the continental shelf are located
landward of the constraint line, which is located 350 miles from the baselines
where the measurement of the breadth of the territorial sea begins. Benham
Rise was never a subject to any maritime boundary disputes and claims. The
Congress of the Philippines enacted Republic Act No. 9522, also known as
the Archipelagic Baselines Law, which is the basis of the claim. According to
the document, the region is bounded by the Philippine Basin on the north and
east, and by Luzon on the west and south. It asserted that, according to
scientific data based on seismic, magnetic, other geological features, the
Benham Rise region is an extension of the Philippines continental shelf.
In summary, the baselines, the basis used for delineating the maritime
territorial and jurisdictional zones, conform with the requirements of the UN
Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Indirectly, the claim is only a
partial claim since the law that allows the Philippines to expand its territorial
boundaries also includes other disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines may soon be able to provide its own energy needs if it can
extract abundant mineral, oil and natural gas of Benham Rise, which is
believed to have mineral and gas deposits. The Philippines claim over
Benham Rise is "very relevant" because scientific surveys indicate minerals
and natural gas in the area. Solidified methane was found during mapping
activities and the "probability is extremely very high" there are massive oil
deposits. Benham Rise, which is wider than the entire Luzon, Samar, and
Leyte combined, is now officially part of the Philippines because it is the only
country within 200 nautical miles of the plateau.
The United Nation has officially approved and recognized the claim of the
Philippines in April of 2012, in strict compliance with the requirements of the
United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has officially received a letter
from UNCLOS informing the Philippines that Benham Rise is now part of the
Philippine continental shelf and territory. The Philippines would soon benefit
from the massive mineral and gas deposits in the region which would enable
the country to achieve complete energy sufficiency.

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) of the United
Nations adopted in full the Republic of the Philippines Submission for an
extended continental shelf on April 12, 2012 which includes part of the
seabed that extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the countrys baselines
covering a seabed area of 52,340 square miles.

The geological and morphological analyses establish that Benham Rise is a


natural prolongation of the landmass of Luzon that is distinct from the adjacent
ocean floor. The connection between Benham Rise and Luzon is evident from
its morphology particularly through the Palanan Saddles and Bicol which
shows that Benham Rise is accreted to Luzon. The extent of this large
igneous province reaches well beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines
from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. With the geological
and morphological evidence, the Test of Appurtenance is proven and the
Philippines is therefore entitled to delineate the outer limit of its continental
shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

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