President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order officially changing the name of Benham Rise, an undersea region that is part of Philippine territory, to “Philippine Rise,” months after reports of Chinese activity in the area. Executive Order 25, signed by the President on May 16 and released to the media on Monday, states that “the undersea feature presently known as ‘Benham Rise’ in local and international maps and charts, shall henceforth be referred to as the ‘Philippine Rise.’” The EO described the Philippine Rise region as a 24-million hectare area “located within the Philippine exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as well as the outer limits of the continental shelf in accordance with the recommendations of the Commission on Limits of the Continental Shelf issued on 12 April 2012.”

Valente, C. (2017, May 23). It’s official: Duterte renames Benham Rise to ‘PH Rise’. The Manila Times, pp. A1, A8.