Reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino said that the country's official submission of the ‘Talampas ng Pilipinas’ chart to the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA) “will open the doors for the region’s exploration to fulfill the country’s future energy needs.”
Tolentino disclosed this in an interview regarding the resource-rich undersea landmass located off Aurora province in the country's eastern coast.
The senator added that the UN submission shows how the country has been building up on the gains since the passage of the law he crafted – the Philippine Maritime Zones Law (RA 12064) – in November last year.
“What this means for every Filipino is this: lower gas and electricity prices in the future. This could hold the key to industrializing the Philippines,” he said.
“With an expanse of 13 million hectares, imagine how much oil, natural gas, and methane deposits can be drawn from the Talampas ng Pilipinas,” he added.
With its sheer size, he noted how the region is much bigger compared to the Malampaya natural gas fields in Palawan at 300,000 hectares – but which is projected to be used up by the year 2027 or 2028.
To recall, it was Tolentino himself who renamed to ‘Talampas ng Pilipinas’ the former ‘Benham Rise’ under Section 8 of RA 12064. Similarly, the ‘Tolentino Law' enshrined the ‘West Philippine Sea’ under Sections 2 and 5.
“We often talk about the West Philippine Sea, but not much is known about the Talampas ng Pilipinas, which is rich in manganese nodules, methane deposits, gas and oil, and rare earth materials,” he remarked.
“With the UN recognition, no other country, not China, could lay claim to it; the Talampas ng Pilipinas is ours!” he stressed, while proposing that the government should proceed naming the region’s different features after national heroes, like Gabriela Silang, Gregorio Del Pilar, and Andres Bonifacio.
The senator further revealed in the interview how he pushed for the establishment of a Philippine Navy base in Aurora province back in 2022 in order to secure the Talampas. He added that a new Coast Guard base in the area is also in the works.
For several years, a multi-agency government program has been conducting research on the deep-sea biodiversity of the Talampas. But in March and November last year, Chinese research ships were monitored loitering in the region within the country's exclusive economic zone.