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The Philippines’ claim to the area was validated by a 2012 UN commission looking into the Philippines’ territorial declarations.
“It is indisputable because no other country has an overlapping claim there,” foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
“So, as a country that exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction, we are the only one that has a sole and exclusive right to explore and exploit the national resources in Benham Rise. It is our responsibility to protect it.”
Manila has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Beijing over the issue, but China’s foreign ministry has publically refuted the Philippines’ claims, saying Friday that their ships were exercising “normal freedom of navigation and right of innocent passage”.
Antonio Caprio, supreme court senior associate justice of the Philippines, said that while Benham Rise is not part of Philippine territory, it still has “sovereign rights” over the area, giving it privileges that are superior to those of other states.
Benham Rise is not a part of the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have also clashed over territorial claims.
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