Changing the Name of "Benham Rise" to "Philippine Rise" and for Other Purposes

May 16, 2017

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 25

CHANGING THE NAME OF "BENHAM RISE" TO "PHILIPPINE RISE" AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was signed and ratified by the Philippines on 10 December 1982 and 08 May 1984, respectively, and entered into force on 16 November 1994;

WHEREAS, the undersea feature known as the Benham Rise Region, which has an area approximately 24 million hectares in size, is 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 the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) issued on 12 April 2012;

WHEREAS, the Benham Rise Region is subject to the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines pursuant to relevant provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, national legislation, the UNCLOS and applicable international law;

WHEREAS, in the exercise of its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, the Philippines has the power to designate its submarine areas with appropriate nomenclature for purposes of the national mapping system.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Change of Name. — The undersea feature presently known as "Benham Rise" in local and international maps and charts, shall henceforth be referred to as the "Philippine Rise".

SECTION 2. Official Maps and Charts. — Official maps and charts of the Philippines that include the area referred to as "Benham Rise" in Section 1 of this Order to be produced and published by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), shall henceforth indicate the name "Philippine Rise" in lieu of the name "Benham Rise".

SECTION 3. Notification. — The Philippine Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in consultation with NAMRIA and other relevant government agencies, shall transmit the appropriate notifications to the concerned international organizations consistent with this Order.

SECTION 4. Information Dissemination. — All departments, subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities of the Government shall henceforth use and employ the name "Philippine Rise" in all official documents in referring to the undersea feature that is the subject of this Order.

SECTION 5. Funding. — The costs of the initial implementation of this Order shall be subject to available funds of the DFA and other concerned agencies and to existing budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

SECTION 6. Separability Clause. — Should any part or provision of this Order be held unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions thereof shall not be affected and shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — All orders, rules and regulations, issuances or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. — This Order shall take effect upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 16th day of May, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Seventeen.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 113, No. 22, p. 4052 on May 29, 2017.