Marcos raises suspicion on Chinese 'research vessels' in Benham Rise: Clear intrusion of PH territory

MELBOURNE, Australia - President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that the reported sightings of Chinese research vessels in Benham Rise was a clear intrusion of the country's territory.

Marcos raised suspicion that these vessels are not merely doing research, noting that their presence in the area was ''absolutely unnecessary.''

''Once again, this is a clear intrusion into our Philippine maritime territory and it is, as usual, of great concern. And I see this as absolutely unnecessary because if it is truly a research vessel then we could have come to a very simple agreement that the research vessel will ply the waters and do the research that they need to do,'' said Marcos.

''However, there is a suspicion that they are not only research vessels so, again, this is a bit of an escalation of the tension that is present in the West Philippines Sea,'' he added.

Benham Rise, which sits off the Philippines' east coast, is a vast area declared by the United Nations in 2012 as part of the country's continental shelf. Manila in 2017 renamed it the "Philippine Rise."

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement the BRP Gabriela Silang will patrol the waters to conduct maritime domain awareness, intensify its presence in the northern portion of Luzon island and monitor local fishermen.

Earlier, the Philippine Navy said that two Chinese vessels were spotted “loitering” around the Benham Rise. So far, these vessels departed the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).—RF, GMA Integrated News