Navy troops commemorate the 7th anniversary of renaming of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise. —photo from the Philippine Navy
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy’s flagship guided missile frigate sailed to Philippine (Benham) Rise to assert sovereign rights in the eastern section of the country which recently saw the presence of Chinese research vessels.
Before sailing to Benham Rise, a send off ceremony was held at BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) at Poro Point in La Union’s San Fernando town on Tuesday.
Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca, Commander of Northern Luzon Command, graced the send-off ceremony, which was done to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the feature’s renaming.
READ: Duterte renames Benham Rise Philippine Rise
“To the man aboard the BRP Jose Rizal, ride the waves, brave the storm, and protect our maritime domain,” Buca said in his speech.
In May 2017, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order changing the name of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.
Benham Rise, a 24-million-hectare resource-rich undersea feature, is part of the Philippine continental shelf and is inside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
For this year alone, there were two incidents of Chinese research presence in the undersea feature.
A Chinese research vessel was spotted off Viga, Catanduanes late April, while two research vessels were spotted there in March.
“Others wanted to claim our waters, let us not let them have a chance to do it,” Buca said.