President Duterte signed Executive Order 25 last May 16 renaming Benham Rise to Philippine Rise. The EO states that the 24-million hectare continental shelf located well within the country’s exclusive economic zone is subject to the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines based on provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, national legislation, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), and applicable international laws. Duterte also ordered the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority to revise official maps and charts of the country to replace Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.

Africa, R., & Lopez, J. (2017, May 23). Benham Rise renamed PH Rise. Malaya Business Insight, pp. B1, B6.