Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 8

What is Benham Rise? Where is its exact location? How can the Filipinos benefit from it?

Here are
10 things people need to know about this undersea region called Benham Rise.

1. It is also known as Benham Plateau. This 13-million- hectare, seismically active undersea region is
said to be located east of Luzon, and is 35 meters underwater at its shallowest point off the
provinces of Aurora and Isabela. It is said to be wider than Luzon, Samar and Leyte combined.

2. Benham Rise was named after Andrew Benham, an American geologist who discovered it.

3. Despite Benham Rise’s proximity to the Philippine archipelago and despite the Philippines being
the only country within 200 nautical miles of the plateau, it was not included in the Philippine
islands territory before.

As such, in April 2009, the Philippines lodged a full territorial waters claim with the United Nations
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

The Philippine government’s claim was based on the guidelines set by the Commission on the
Limits of the Continental Shelf, the area satisfies the 350-mile constraint line. Moreover, the basis of
the claim was also according to Republic Act No. 9522 (Archipelagic Baselines Law), which says that
the region is bounded by the Philippine Basis on the north and east, and by Luzon on the west and
south. Also, based on scientific data on seismic, magnetic and other geological features of Benham
Rise, it indicates that the region is an extension of the country’s continental shelf.

4. In April 2012, the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognized and officially
approved the Philippines’ claim that Benham Rise is part of its continental shelf and territory. With
that, the Philippines’ territory has also increased to 43 million hectares from 30 million hectares.

5. Aside from expansion of territory, the Philippines will benefit from mineral and gas deposits in
Benham Rise.

According to research, there is a massive mineral and gas deposits in the plateau, and this could help
the country to achieve energy sufficiency.

Furthermore, solidified methane was found during mapping activities. That is why Benham Rise is
believed to have massive oil deposits.

6. The government is exploring the possibility of tapping new gas fields like the Benham Rise.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara believes that the plateau is a good alternative for the Malampaya gas
field.

7. A team of Filipino experts conducted an exploration from May 3 to 18 and examined the marine
life in the plateau. Fishing activities have occurred in Benham Rise even before the Philippines was
officially awarded its territorial claim.

The exploration was a collaboration among University of the Philippines Diliman, UP Los Banos
and Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR).
Researchers, scientists, seasoned dive specialists from UP Mindanao, UP Baguio, Xavier University,
Ateneo de Manila University as well as from the local diving industry have joined forces for this
expedition.

The team discovered 120 percent coral cover. The National Mapping and Resource Information
Authority (NAMRIA) said the plateau is a shallow bathymetric feature that towers above the
adjacent deep ocean floor with Benham Bank, the shallowest part that measures 50 meters deep.

8. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources and Development
(PCAARRD), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), has
funded a program called “Exploration, Mapping and Assessment of Deep Water Areas.”

This aims to learn the dynamics of Benham Rise, and also to generate benchmark data as basis for
the government to proactively manage its territory.

The program was implemented by the UP Marine Science Institute, UP National Institute of
Geological Sciences and UPLB–School of Environmental Science and Management.

9. Experts from Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and Korea
Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) have expressed interest in conducting research
surveys on Benham Rise.

As of Feb. 22, the DOST said there is no “offer” to collaborate with the agency, but an opportunity
to partner with the two countries for research and development purposes which may include
resource assessment.

10. By using their scientific expertise and exploring the Benham Rise, both Korea and Japan would
understand better their areas that are prone to earthquake. Both countries would like to gain
valuable information on earthquakes and the earth’s tectonic plates.
FAST FACTS: What you should know about Benham Rise

The Philippines 13-million-hectare territory near Aurora is considered part of the country's extended
continental shelf, but is not part of the PH national territory

Katerina Francisco

@kaifrancisco
Published 10:15 AM, March 18, 2017
Updated 10:58 AM, March 30, 2017

CORAL-RICH. Researchers say Benham Bank is rich in corals. Photo courtesy of Dr Hildie
Nacorda/UPLB-SESAM

MANILA, Philippines – What is Benham Rise, and who owns it?

The subject has come up in recent days, after the Philippines' defense department revealed that
China has shown interest in the territory located off Aurora province, with a Chinese ship spotted
surveying the area for as long as 3 months last year.

Asked about this, President Rodrigo Duterte seemed to confuse the issue with the Philippines'
dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
But Benham Rise, located in the Philippines' eastern border and far away from the West Philippine
Sea, is not disputed territory. Unlike Scarborough Shoal, no other country is claiming the underwater
plateau believed to be rich in minerals and gas.

UN confirmation: PH's extended continental shelf

Benham Rise is a 13-million-hectare underwater plateau located near Aurora. It is larger than Luzon,
the Philippines' biggest island, and is considered part of the Philippines' continental shelf.

According to marine law expert Jay Batongbacal, Benham Rise is potentially a rich source of natural
gas and other resources such as heavy metals. It is about 2,000 to 5,000 meters deep, but remains
largely unexplored. (READ: Filipinos conquer new territory: Benham Rise)

In 2012, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Contintental Shelf (UNCLCS)
confirmed Benham Rise as part of the Philippines' continental shelf. Under the UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil of the
submarine areas 200 nautical miles (NM), or 370 kilometers, from a state's baselines or “edges.”

Parts of the continental shelf beyond the 200 NM provision need to be claimed before UNCLCS.
Three years after the Philippines first filed its claim and defended it before the commission, the
UNCLCS approved Benham Rise as part of the Philippines' extended continental shelf.

It was the country's first successful validated claim under UNCLOS.

Sovereign rights, yes, but not PH territory

An important distinction to note is that the Philippines has "sovereign rights" over Benham Rise,
but it does not have sovereignty over it. Because of this, Benham Rise cannot be considered part of
Philippine national territory, according to Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Under international law, a state exercises sovereignty over its land territory and 12 NM territorial sea.
Beyond it, and up to 200 NM from its baselines, the state has "sovereign rights" – less than
sovereignty, but exclusive and superior to the rights of all other states.

The Philippines has the sovereign right to explore and exploit the oil, gas and other mineral
resources in Benham Rise as part of its extended continental shelf (ECS).

Carpio explained that other countries, like China, have the right to conduct certain activities in
Benham Rise such as:

 fishery research because the fish in the ECS belong to mankind


 surveys on water salinity and water currents because the water column in the ECS belongs to
mankind
 depth soundings for navigational purposes because there is freedom of navigation in the
ECS
"If the Chinese vessels were looking for submarine passages and parking spaces, that would be part
of freedom of navigation and the Philippines has no reason to complain," Carpio said.

But if the Chinese vessels spotted plying the area were conducting seismic activities to look for
resources, Carpio said they would be in violation of UNCLOS because only the Philippines has
exclusive rights to explore and develop resources there.

China earlier said the Philippines cannot claim Benham Rise as part of its own territory.

Innocent passage or survey?

Asked about this in a press conference, Duterte said he understood why China would question the
Philippine's claim over Benham Rise.

"Because they are claiming it, so I can understand. You cannot also claim that because I'm claiming
it. But let us not fight about ownership or sovereignty at this time. Things are going great for my
country," Duterte said.

While China confirmed that survey ships passed through the area in 2016, it claims that the vessels
were exercising innocent passage.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, however, said the activities of the Chinese ship
spotted in the area belied this.

"Alam mo naman 'yung innocent passage, Point A to Point B. Napakabagal eh. Tapos tumitigil sa isang lugar.
Magtagal doon ng ilang araw. Lipat naman sa kabilang lugar. So that is not innocent passage," he said.

(We know innocent passage, it's Point A to Point B. But the Chinese ship was very slow. It was
stopping in one area to stay there for a few days. And then it would transfer to another area. So that
is not innocent passage.)

Lorenzana said the Philippines will increase patrols in the area and may even build structures in
Benham Rise. – Rappler.com
The Philippine Rise, also known as Benham Rise, is a seismically active undersea region and
extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately 250 km (160 mi) east of the
northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela.

Under the Philippine Sea lie a number of basins including the West Philippine Sea Basin, inside of
which is located the Central Basin Fault (CBF).[1] The Benham Plateau is located in the CBF and its
basement probably is a micro-continent.[2] Several scientific surveys have been made on the feature
to study its nature and its impact on tectonic subduction, including one about its effects on the 1990
Luzon earthquake. The Philippines claimed this feature as part of its continental shelf in a claim
lodged with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on 8 April 2009,
and which was approved under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
in 2012.[3]

It is designated as a "protected food supply exclusive zone" by the Philippine government in May
2017. Mining and oil exploration is banned in the Benham Plateau as a protected area. On May 16,
2017, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 25 renaming the region to
Philippine Rise.[4][5]

Geology

Philippine Rise is a submerged extinct volcanic ridge located at 16 degrees 30 minutes N, 124
degrees 45 minutes E off the coast of Luzon, with the size of about 250 km in diameter and rises
over 2,000 meters (2 km.) above the sea floor, from below 5,000 meters (5 km.) below sea level to
above 3,000 meters (3 km.) below sea level. Its area is close to the Benham Seamount, located at 15
degrees 48 minutes N, 124 degrees 15 minutes E. The precise location is somewhere near the east of
the Philippine Trench and near the south of the East Luzon Trench, both of which absorb the
subducting force of the Philippine Sea Plate under the Philippine Mobile Belt,[6] a collage of large
blocks of that crust that amalgamated prior to the collision of the Philippine Sea Plate with the
Eurasian Plate.[7]

The origin of the landform, along with a fellow landform, the Urdaneta Plateau (a remnant of
mantle plume), is identified in one study as at least five sequences of propagating rifts, probably
triggered by mantle flowing away from the mantle thermal anomaly.[8] Its presence of the landform
disrupts the continuity of this region (known as the Philippine-East Luzon Trench) by continuously
colliding with the Sierra Madre mountain range of eastern portion of the island of Luzon. Though it
is generally thought that the Philippine Sea Plate is being subducted under the Philippine Mobile
Belt, under the rules of tectonic subduction, there appears to be a resistance to this because of the
presence of the landform, and instead, the plate is being displaced into the northern portion of
Luzon to the west.[9][10]

The geophysical features of the plateau may have been the result of an early Miocene collision event
between the Benham Rise and the eastern margin of Luzon, which may have also allowed the
inception of the NW striking strand of the Philippine fault.[11] These forces may have impacted the
shape of the island of Luzon because of the basaltic sea floor resisting the subduction that may have
also cause the bending of the Philippine Fault.[12] The active basins in Central Luzon, which trace an
asymmetrical V shape, is the best place to observe recent tectonic evolution of the fault system.
History

The landform was 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.[13] There has been speculation in the scientific community
about the nature of the landform. Following the major 16 July 1990 Luzon earthquake, scientists
reconsidered their fault models and decided it likely that Benham Plateau has similarly displaced the
Philippine Fault System to the west.[14] After analysing older models such as that of Pinet and
Stephan (1989), scientists reconsidered their fault models. They thought that it is highly likely that
the Benham Plateau is still displacing Central Luzon and the Philippine Fault System to the west,
which may have had an impact in causing such a catastrophic earthquake. The 20 second to 50
second wave in the 1990 quake that developed a new east-west sub-fault was so strong that it
terminated disastrously at the city of Baguio in Benguet, Cordillera. Several scientific surveys,
conducted between 2004 and 2008, collected hydrographic data that determined the morphology of
the seabed in the region. Additional data from international bathymetric surveys and an analysis of
international research projects were collected to support the findings.[15]

The Philippine 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. Today, large percentage of fish caught by
Catandunganon comes from Benham Rise. 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.[16]

Territorial waters of the Philippines. The Philippine Rise is located directly east of Luzon.

Despite its proximity to the archipelago, the plateau was previously not included in the territory of
the Philippines. On 8 April 2009, the Republic of the Philippines lodged a partial 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.[17] 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 landform, in itself, is not disputed, the petition still received some criticism inside and
outside the country because of its controversial nature.[18] 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.[15]

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 is
an extension of the Philippines’ continental shelf. In summary, the baselines, the basis used for
delineating the maritime territorial and jurisdictional zones (including the continental shelf), conform
with the requirements of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [15] The claim is only
a partial claim since the law that allows the Philippines to expand its territorial boundaries also
includes islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippines filed its claim for Benham Rise in 2008 in compliance with the requirements of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UN has officially approved the
claim in April 2012.[3][19][20][21]

After Chinese survey ships were spotted in the region in 2017, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte
suggested that the plateau be renamed to emphasize the Philippine's sovereignty over the area. Soon
after, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced plans to come up with a new name.[22] In May
2017, the Philippine government officially adapts the name "Philippine Rise" for the feature [5] and
designates the area as a "protected food supply exclusive zone" and prohibited mining and oil
exploration in the Benham Plateau.[23]

Вам также может понравиться