Palace Much Ado About Nothing: Media Sets the Record Straight on Benham Rise

Screengrab from GMA News’ Youtube account.

WHEN THE Palace tooted its tinny horn about President Duterte’s planned visit to the uncontested Benham Rise (also Philippine Rise), media’s reaction verged on the ho-hum, muttering amongst themselves, why bother, Filipinos are more concerned about what the Chinese are doing in the Spratlys, which is in a different sea altogether.

The Palace hyped up the event to show off the president’s lead role, launching a team of Filipino scientists doing exploratory research on the Philippine Rise. The 13-million hectare underwater plateau east of Luzon, noted for its rich marine resources, figured in the news in April 2017 when the Philippine Navy spotted Chinese vessels believed to be doing underwater research. Also sometime last year, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) had approved the names China proposed for five features in Benham Rise, as revealed by maritime expert Prof. Jay Batongbacal last February.

But the object of public attention and concern in recent weeks had been China’s build-up of military airstrips and bases on three reefs in the West Philippine Sea, including its deployment of missiles in the area.

So what was the Palace staff up to, joking as they did about the possibility of the president doing his promised jet ski ride, albeit to an entirely different part of sea that so far no other country had claimed? Perhaps, the president’s communications team thinks Filipinos can’t keep track of these different sites and can’t be bothered by geography. So let them think or imagine that the president is riding his skis to some spot in the ocean, and he would have fulfilled a campaign promise.

This time, some in the media were smart enough to throw back the joke on Malacanang.

CMFR cheers GMA-7’s Saksi for setting the story straight and the facts right on Benham Rise, all the while pointing out the absurdity of the publicity stunt.

Reporter Raffy Tima said Duterte’s pledge to jet ski was assigned to someone else and not as promised to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal (“Jetski promise, nangyari pero hindi si PRRD ang gumawa at hindi sa Panatag Shoal“).

Tima recounted the different ways the scenario failed. Duterte’s son Sebastian and his special assistant Bong Go rode jet skis in place of the president on Casiguran Bay in Aurora province, pointing to the distance of the place from either Scarborough Shoal in West Philippine Sea, the original location of the jet ski promise, or Benham Rise, the actual area Duterte was supposed to visit. Tima said Brig. Gen. Lopez Dagoy of the Presidential Security Group advised against Duterte’s water-skiing because of extreme heat.

Tima added that Duterte didn’t even push through the announced visit to Benham Rise, sending off the Filipino scientists from no farther than Casiguran.

During the ceremonies, Duterte talked about Philippine sovereign rights over Benham Rise. Tima rightly noted that there has been no real foreign threat in the area, unlike in the West Philippine Sea which China has already militarized. Saksi quoted Prof. Batongbacal saying it is the West Philippine Sea territory that needs to be guarded and protected.

His comparison of Duterte’s “non-visit” to a neighbor taking over your backyard was short and sharp: “Mayroon kang kapitbahay, sinasakop na nya ang bakuran mo sa harap, ang ginawa mo, doon ka pumunta sa likod at doon ka nagsabi na dedepensahan mo ang iyong pag-aari (Your neighbor is occupying your front yard, but you went to your backyard to defend your place.)”

CMFR cheers other news organizations that caught on the charade as well. InterAksyon described Duterte’s jet ski remark as a “bold promise” that became a “publicity stunt,” while Rappler said Casiguran Bay is undisputed and “Bong Go is reportedly eyeing a Senate seat.”