Coast Guard installs lighted ocean buoys to assert PH Rise territory
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has installed the first three of the 10 modern lighted ocean buoys in the Philippine Rise, formerly known as the Benham Rise, to assert the country’s maritime territory.
PCG Commandant Admiral George Ursabia Jr. said the buoys were transported by vessel MV Morning Light from the Uni-Orient Pearl Ventures Inc. Shipyard in Mandaue, Cebu to the Philippine Rise on Wednesday, May 12.

The three buoys arrived in the Philippine Rise on Friday, May 14--the day when the two-day installation started.
“The presence of buoys in the Philippine Rise communicates that said vicinity waters is considered a special protected zone. Hence, mining and oil exploration are strictly prohibited to preserve its rich natural resources,” Ursabia said in a statement on Thursday, May 20.
On May 2017, President Dutere signed Executive Order 25, which officially renamed “Benham Rise” into “The Philippine Rise” and designated it as a protected food supply zone that prohibited mining and oil explorations.
Ursabia said the buoys are equipped with modern marine aids to navigation lanterns, specialized mooring systems, and a remote monitoring system that uses satellite technology to transmit data to the PCG National Headquarters in Port Area, Manila.
The PCG Maritime Safety Services Command (MSSC) said seven more lighted ocean buoys will arrive in the country this year to mark other vicinity waters inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
The modern buoys were designed and manufactured by the international marine aids to navigation company Mediterraneo Señales Maritimas in Valencia, Spain.