THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT has taken up with Beijing the matter of Chinese-named undersea features at Philippine Rise, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Ernesto C. Abella said on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Mr. Abella said research work by the Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) was tackled in last February’s bilateral consultation meeting in Manila. He also noted that both sides, China and the Philippines, “agreed that all marine science researches henceforth have the consent of the Philippines.”

Whether the Philippine government intends to register its objection before the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) that approved China’s proposed names, Mr. Abella said: “At this stage, we will have to proceed from henceforth.”

“When we raised our concern, they were willing to proceed upon agreed terms from henceforth,” he also said.

But when asked if China was willing to withdraw the names, Mr. Abella said, “That was not covered in the report.”

At a Senate hearing on Benham Rise last Monday National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon reported that China had illegally entered the Philippine Rise region in 2004 that led to the naming of the undersea features.

Addressing the Senate committee on science and technology hearing on Benham Rise last Monday, director Jay L. Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea said China’s naming features in the South China Sea became the basis of its claim of sovereignty over the disputed waters.

Asked whether the government plans to file a diplomatic protest against China, Mr. Abella said: “The mechanism we are using is the bilateral dialogue. Having said that, that’s where the next steps are going to be developed.”

“Basically, an agreement has been made that no further research must be done without the permission of the Philippine side,” he added.

The DFA official also pointed out that the National Security Agency (NSA), as ordered by Mr. Duterte, is the approving body on foreign requests for research at Philippine Rise. — A.L. Balinbin

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