The Department of Agriculture (DA) has pumped up its budget proposal for next year to P218 billion as it intends to seek a separate fund for the protection of Benham Rise, a 25-million hectare shallow continental shelf east of the main island of Luzon. The proposed budget for Benham Rise was submitted by the DA on Wednesday to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the technical committee hearing on the agency’s budgetary requirements for 2018, Piñol said. According to him, the initial budget will be used to start efforts to establish a research and monitoring facility in the Benham Bank, a 15,000-hectare area in the middle of Benham Rise.

Miraflor, M. B. (2017, May 19). DA asks for P218-B budget for 2018 due to Benham Rise work. Manila Bulletin, p. B-11.