Benham Rise

I watched a portion of CNN Philippines’ evening news tonight at 7:30 pm. They showed the current Secretary of National Defense, Maj. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, reporting to us Filipinos about the presence of Chinese vessels in OUR sovereignty, the Benham Rise. China’s claim that they were only passing thru was lame and Sec. Lorenzana said it was not a friendly passage because their ships were slowly cruising, then stopped for a few days, then sailed again. It was obvious that the Chinese were surveying the area.

The network also showed a clip of President Duterte admitting that he gave the Chinese permission to visit Benham Rise. He categorically said “we already have an agreement”. Pinapalaki lang daw ang issue. My stomach churned so I switched off the television. Ganun lang ba ka simple yun? Can the president singularly make that decision? That concerns our national patrimony, our sovereignty. Hindi ganun ka-simple yun. Hangga ngayon, upset pa rin ang tyan ko. Hindi ako buntis pero para akong maduduwal. Any Filipino who loves his/her country would react the same way. Christmas gift ba natin sa mga tsino ang Benham Rise? Huwag naman sana. Marami namang mga pwedeng ipangregalo galing sa Divisoria mga made in China, first class quality, yun na lang, Wag na ang bayan at karagatan natin.

The Benham Plateau, also known as Benham Rise, is a seismically active undersea region and extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately 250 km east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela. It is a 13 million hectare under sea region east of Luzon and is 35 meters underwater at its shallowest point off the provinces of Aurora and Isabela.

The area is solely claimed, as part of its continental shelf, by the Republic of the Philippines, which was confirmed by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on April 12, 2012. Under the UNCLOS, a coastal state’s exclusive economic zone extends 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from its continental shelf, while its extended continental shelf extends for another 278 km (150 nautical miles). The UN now recognizes the Philippines’ claim and the country’s territory has increased to 43 million hectares from 30 million hectares.
(source: Wikepedia and benhamrise.com)

Mayaman sa natural resources tulad ng langis ang Benham Rise. Nakakalungkot lang na wala tayong kakayahan na pagyamanin ito para sa ikauunlad ng ating mga mamamayan tulad ng mga bansang Qatar, Arabia, etc. Hindi tayo dapat maghihirap kung magagamit natin ang mga langis na nasa ilalim ng ating mga nasasakupan.

Ang kahinaaan natin ay sinasamantala naman ng China. (Dyos ko kamag-anak ko pa naman kayo.) Dapat nating ipaglaban ang ating pag-aari. Oo nga, gusto natin na makipag-kaibigan sa ibang mga bansa. Pero wag nating kalimutan na ANG ATIN AY ATIN. Hindi naman dahil magkaibigan tayo eh bago ko malaman eh naliligo ka na sa loob ng banyo ko at nag-bo-boating ka sa bath tub ko. Wala akong pahintulot, tapos sasabihin mo nagpa-alam ka kay Kapitan? Asan naman ang respeto?
Si Kapitan ay nirerespeto natin pero ating paalalahanan na ang obligasyon nya sa taong bayan ay maging unang tagapagtanggol at tagapangalaga ng ating kapakanan.

It’s treason to betray one’s sovereignty.