To quote from the news article: Filipino scientists have started - TopicsExpress

To quote from the news article: Filipino scientists have started to conduct surveys on the potentially oil-rich Benham Rise, a largely unexplored territory larger than Luzon recently approved by the United Nations as part of the Philippines continental shelf. The team, led by UP oceanographer Hildie Nacorda of the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute (MSI), left May 3 on board a Philippine research vessel for the first-ever benthic survey of the 13-million hectare area off the eastern coast of Aurora province. The team aims to map the bottom of the ecological region of the sea.