A senior magistrate of the Supreme Court said Tuesday the Philippines had some rights over Benham Rise as confirmed by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf as part of the country’s “Extended Continental Shelf” or ECS. Carpio stressed that since Benham Rise is part of the country’s ECS, the Philippines has sovereign rights over the continental shelf. Carpio, whom President Duterte tapped as a legal consultant in territorial disputes with China, authored the SC decision that unanimously affirmed the constitutionality of the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law of 2009 which determine the Philippines 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Requejo, R., & Ramos-Araneta, M. (2017, March 15). Carpio: Benham not PH territory. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.