The Philippine government was urged yesterday to create a protection framework for Benham Rise, an undersea territory east of Luzon brimming with natural resources, to prevent foreign vessels from trespassing. Oceana, the world’s largest international non-governmental organization working on ocean conservation, came out with a statement yesterday, urging the Philippine government to protect Benham Rise. Benham Rise is an undersea territory located east of Luzon. It includes a 13-million hectare extended continental shelf validated in 2012 by the United Nations’ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN CLCS) as the Philippines’ newest territory.

Miaraflor, M. B. (2017, March 23). Gov’t urged to craft Benham Rise protection framework. Manila Bulletin, p. B1.