The Senate committee on economic affairs will resume on Wednesday its hearings on Benham Rise to tackle security and environmental concerns following reports of suspicious Chinese activities in the area. The scheduled hearing will also tackle issues on biodiversity conservation and management of marine and energy resources. “There is an urgent need to conduct extensive scientific research in Benham Rise to fully discover how its development will benefit the Filipino people. These plans must be put into place now so that future generations of Filipinos will be able to reap the benefits of the area’s ecological wealth and unexplored energy resources,” Gatchalian said.

Romero, P., & Cervantes, D. (2017, March 27). Senate sets Benhan Rise hearing. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 16.