We are not talking of rape of the carnal kind here. The title of this column deals with the most recent violation committed by China on Philippine territorial sovereignty. Not content with its encroachment into the Philippine Sea, China’s tentacles are now reaching out to Benham Rise, renamed Philippine Rise when the United Nations declared it in 2012 as part of the country’s continental shelf. China has renamed five of the seabed features in The Rise with Chinese names. Are they feeling lucky because it’s the Chinese Year of the Dog?

Del Rosario, A. (2018, February 16). Rape on the Rise. Manila Standard, pp. A4, A5.