The Navy will build permanent structures in Benham Rise in the next two years to establish its naval presence in the northeastern underwater territory also called the Philippine Rise, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Friday.

Three months ago, divers from the Philippine Navy planted the country’s flag in the underwater plateau seven meters below the water surface, off the coasts that stretch from Cagayan to Bicol. The area was declared by the United Nations in 2012 as part of the Philippine continental shelf.