President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order officially changing the name of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.
Executive Order no. 25, released to media on Monday, states that the “undersea feature presently known as “Benham Rise” in local and international maps and charts, shall henceforth be referred to as the “Philippine Rise.”
President Duterte Signed Executeive Order no. 25
Duterte earlier mentioned his plan to rename the underwater ridge on the eastern coast of the Philippines after reports said Chinese vessels were in the area.
The EO, signed by Duterte and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, orders all official maps and charts of the Philippines that include Benham Rise to use the name “Philippine Rise.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs, in consultation with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and other agencies, was also ordered to notify all concerned international organizations.
The funding needed to implement the changes will come from the DFA and other concerned agencies.
The EO described the Philippine Rise region as a 24-million hectare area “located within the Philippine exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as well as the outer limits of the continental shelf in accordance with the recommendations of the Commission on Limits of the Continental Shelf issued on 12 April 2012.”/rga