President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Benham Rise on May 15-16 to celebrate the first anniversary of his renaming the underwater land mass Philippine Rise. While at Philippine Rise, the President will also lead the launching of the country’s first scientific exploration of the 13-million-hectare, resource-rich underwater plateau located off the coast of Aurora province. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday that 50 Filipino scientists would carry out the study.

Aurelio, J. M. (2018, May 9). President to visit ph rise launch research study. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.