Foreign Affairs Acting Sec. Enrique Manalo. ALBERT ALCAIN/Presidential Photo FILE
China has pending requests to the Philippine government to do research in the mineral-rich Benham Rise, according to acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
In a television interview on Thursday, Manalo also said China’s previous survey requests have been denied by the Philippine government for failing to comply in certain requirements, such as the presence of a Filipino scientist on board.
READ: ‘What’s wrong with China sending research ships to Benham Rise?’
“For a number of years, China has already been asking permission to survey Benham Rise. It’s required; they (have to) ask permission if they can survey or whatever they wish. And if the Philippine government wishes to grant it, we will grant (it). But we have requirements that maybe China did not fulfill. We required to have a Filipino scientist on board, that’s one of them,” Manalo said over the ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Headstart.”
“The permission was denied… A number have been denied and two or three are still under consideration,” he added.
READ: PH warship to patrol Benham Rise
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a Chinese survey ship was seen sailing around the region for three months last year, adding that he had received reports indicating the Chinese were looking for possible submarine stations.
As defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Benham Rise lies within the continental shelf of the Philippines. The undersea landmass, a 13-million hectare region off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora, is potentially rich in mineral and natural gas deposits.
President Rodrigo Duterte has downplayed the presence of Chinese ship in the region, saying it was not appropriate to “fight about ownership or sovereignty at this time” as the Philippines sought improved ties with Beijing.
READ: ‘Let’s not fight over sovereignty at this time,’ says Duterte on Benham Rise
China has welcomed Duterte’s friendly remarks, saying that it does not challenge the Philippines’ rights over the area and that its ships were just passing through. IDL
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