Manila asserted its sovereign rights over Philippine Rise (formerly Benham Rise) on Monday by planting the national flag there as the nation marked the 119th anniversary of its independence. Divers from the Philippine Navy’s newest ship, the BRP Davao del Sur, set the flag on a concrete base 57 meters below the water surface. “As we hoisted the Philippine flag underwater on Philippine Rise, we also raised the flag above deck of the Navy’s biggest and newest ship, the BRP Davao del Sur,” Lt. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo, chief of the military’s Northern Luzon Command, said in a speech.

Mangosing, F. (2017, June 13). Gov’t upholds sovereignty over PH rise, plants flag. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.