Silliman University has offered to get involved in research on the Philippine Rise, previously known as Benham Rise.
Dr. Hilconida Calumpong of the Silliman University Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (SU-IEMS) made the offer at the opening of the Philippine Rise exhibit at the said university this week, saying they were involved in research in the South China Sea.
And now with the Philippine Rise, “we would also like to be involved in the research because it seems like it is a very important source for the tuna industry in General Santos,” where the tuna industry is based, she said.
“And there are always institutions who have limited capacities but I think we can all contribute” to research, she added.
Dr. Calumpong commended Oceana for bringing the Benham Rise exhibit to Silliman University and Dumaguete, and she invited the organization to return sometime in October for a convention of marine science professionals.
Danny Ocampo, oceans campaign manager of Oceana-Philippines, welcomed the offer of Silliman University, stressing the importance for research to be open to all academic institutions to be able to include other disciplines and experts in the field.
Oceana had joined the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the University of the Philippines during the 2016 expedition to the Philippine Rise, whose ownership is being disputed by China.
According to Ocampo, Oceana does not have any plans to go back there in the future even as the non-profit international ocean conservation and advocacy organization continues to rally for support to protect the Philippine Rise.
However, Ocampo assured that Oceana could help SU-IEMS by linking them to other academic institutions.
“I think they can reach out to UPLB (University of the Philippines Los Baños and other groups planning to back to the Philippine Rise,” he said.
Benham Bank, which forms part of the Philippine Rise, the shallowest portion and is about 50 meters deep with an area of some 17,000 hectares, was the subject of the expedition as it had vast corals and rich marine ecosystem.
For his part, Silliman University president Dr. Ben Malayang III called on politicians to protect the Philippine Rise and not their personal interests.
The Benham Rise should be a matter of national interest, he added.
The Philippine Rise exhibit runs from March 19 to the end of this month at Silliman University’s Anthropology Museum located at the 2nd floor of Hibbard Hall. (Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)
