The Duterte administration should consider setting up floating terminals in Benham Rise as part of its strategy to assert ownership and sovereign rights over the disputed undersea region. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate committee on economic affairs, which is tackling the proposed creation of the Benham Rise Development Authority (BRDA) which will manage and oversee research and development activities in the resource-rich 13-million hectare underwater plateau, said that one way the Philippine government can solidify its claim on Benham Rise is to set up critical facilities like offshore platforms in the area. “Yes, we build a terminal, a physical terminal. A floating terminal or a land-based terminal but it should be a part of our strategy because gas is cheaper now. It’s a flexible system and can be used for any type of necessities,” Gatchalian said in a televised interview.

Torregoza, H. (2017, April 4). ‘PH must impose presence in Benham Rise’. Manila Bulletin, p. 2.