“They explained that China said, ‘We will not claim Benham Rise. Beijing said it was only “exercising navigation freedoms and the right to innocent passage, without conducting any other activities or operations” on the 13-million-hectare Benham Rise. According to Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, China has “two or three” pending requests to survey Benham Rise, after previous requests were denied. Duterte later admitted that he allowed China to survey Benham Rise even without the knowledge of the Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Benham Rise, located east of Aurora province, is believed to be a rich source of natural gas and other resources like heavy metals.

Source: Manila Times April 01, 2017 17:26 UTC