THE Philippines will contest the naming of five underwater features of the Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) by China, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said on Wednesday, as President Rodrigo Duterte warned of war over unauthorized expeditions to the area. Abella said the government raised its objection to the research activity of the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on February 13 during the second bilateral consultations with China, which also discussed the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute. Asked if China expressed willingness to withdraw the names it had registered, Abella said there was no response. Duterte also likened a proposed joint exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea to “co-ownership.”“Now, they offered joint exploration. “See, if I annoyed them before, called them sons of bitches, nothing would have happened,” the President added.

Source: Manila Times February 28, 2018 16:07 UTC